Battlefield 1 Focuses on the True Dawn of All-Out Warfare

In case you missed it, the Battlefield series is set to make its debut in the bloodiest and most brutal conflict in modern history. In Battlefield 1, The Great War (commonly known as World War I) serves as the backdrop for DICE's jump into early 1900's warfare, which set the standard for war as we know it.

Battlefield 1 will actually release earlier on PC and Xbox One through EA Access before hitting a simultaneous release with PS4 on October 21 this year. The folks at Electronic Arts wanted to debut their new game in style with a flashy new trailer and a global livestream to accompany it.

During a special press event at EA's Redwood Shores studio just prior to the worldwide livestream, the developers at DICE were excited to share their new entry in the series, which they see as not only as the most unique war of modern history, but also a way to show players that World War I was much more than just trenches, mustard gas, and bi-planes flying about. During the brief clips we saw, the armies of WWI utilized weapons ranging from early automatic weapons, trench clubs, steel combat armor, and new advanced machines (read: tanks!) to combat their enemies.

While players are mostly familiar with the field of war during World War II and the Modern era, the developers at DICE see this as a way to rethink 'Battlefield' in a brand new setting. Combat is far more brutal and up-close, due to this war serving as the transition between traditional cavalry-based wars and the focus on technology and range-based weaponry. Battlefield 1 features expanded melee combat gameplay, where players can utilize sabers, shovels, clubs, and bayonets—in addition to a rush attack—to get the jump on their foes.

The crowd was ecstatic with the new footage, and the visuals powered by the Frostbite engine looked spellbinding. World War I was the most violent armed conflict in history, and the graphics give it an apocalyptic feel, which is accurate given personal accounts from veterans who saw the horrors of war firsthand. That said, the new setting should make things extremely interesting for players yearning for something new.