DICE Officially Unveils Battlefield 1; WWI Setting, October Release And Pre-Order Bonuses Confirmed

Much like Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare before it, the official reveal event of 2016’s Battlefield has been undercut by so many leaks that there’s only so much more EA and DICE can unveil. Nevertheless, building upon an extensive presentation of the franchise’s history, both parties finally brought the curtain down on this year’s entry into the juggernaut FPS franchise – Battlefield 1.

Rolling back the years to situate the series in World War I – a realistic version of The Great War, that is, as apposed to an alternate history as earlier reports has suggested – the sizzle reel above offers up a rapid fire of some key elements from the game, including trench warfare, tanks, mustard gas, flamethrowers, battleships and booming artillery.

Cover art for Battlefield 1 also indicates that the lead protagonist will hail from the Harlem Hellfighters, an African-American infantry unit that faced great prejudice during the throes of World War 1. Despite the vile racism, the Hellfighters were resolute in combat, displaying unrelenting courage as they racked up more hours on the frontlines than any other infantry division. In short: compelling protagonists to base a single-player campaign around.

DICE’s official synopsis tethered to today’s barnstorming trailer reads as such: “Discover classic Battlefield gameplay with epic multiplayer and an adventure-filled campaign. Experience the Dawn of All-Out War, Only in Battlefield 1.”

Now that the cat is out of the bag, retailers have begun listing pre-order bonuses for Battlefield 1. GameStop is the first to bite the bullet with, detailing the game’s Early Enlister Deluxe Edition, it’ll release three days earlier on October 18 for $79.99. With that premium pack there’s also a slew of extras, including:

Red Baron Pack containing:

Vehicle: Red Baron’s Triplane
Sidearm: Red Baron’s P08
Emblem: Red Baron’s Flyer Pin

Lawrence of Arabia Pack containing:

Horse: Lawrence of Arabia’s Black Stallion
Weapon: Lawrence of Arabia’s SMLE
Melee: Lawrence of Arabia’s Jambiya
Emblem: Lawrence of Arabia’s Emblem

New visual appearance on three of the largest vehicles in the game:

Frontline Camouflage Train
Night Raid Airship
Dazzle Camouflage Dreadnought

Harlem Hellfighter Pack containing:

Weapon: Hellfighter Trench Shotgun
Siderarm: Hellfighter M1911
Melee: Hellfighter Bolo Knife
Emblem: Hellfighter Insignia

Seven day early access to 2016 free map
Five battlepacks

Battlefield 1 will shoot for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 21. EA Access players on Xbox One will have the first chance to hop into DICE’s old-school shooter later in the year.