Battlefield 6 has just launched its first season of Battle Pass and players’ reactions have been very negative, to say the least. The players’ community is very upset and the new skins have been described as “unrealistic”. On the other hand, a few players are justifying their demands by saying that they don’t want so-called military simulation “tactical” colors, which are nothing but dusty grays and drab greens. The whole scenario has become a super-neon colors issue that makes noise and gets the players talking and arguing all over again. It’s a complete mess there!
Among the grievances, the skins’ brightness was one of the most important ones. Players claim that it virtually eradicates the military simulation aspect that Battlefield proudly bears. One player even went to the extreme and said: “I DON’T WANT EVERY CAMO TO BE FUCKING PUKE GREEN AND SHEET METAL GRAY LIKE HOLY FUCK GUYS🤣” which might be a valid point? Yet another player said “this skin is okay in my opinion. I would never play it because you can see everybody from across the map wearing it” which probably is a reasonable tactical concern. So, why would you want to be all blue in a war zone that you don’t want to be shot in?
The problem is that the community is really split. On the one hand, players are saying “Bf6 isn’t a fuckin mil-sim….these ‘fans’ need to shut tf up,” thus putting it quite directly that perhaps people should just relax. On the other hand, there are still some players who argue “Um, I want BF6 to be more mil-sim.” So it seems that the community is such that it is really divided and cannot even come to a conclusion on what it wants the game to be.
Moreover, the whole thing is closely connected to the long-standing rivalry of Battlefield vs. CoD that has been going on for ages. One of the players quoted one remark: “CoD players literally asked for BF6 to have a competitive/ranked mode. Without knowing that BF1 had a ranked game mode which failed.” So are people actually asking for features that were previously rejected? And in addition, there is the whole movement system master-minding where players supposedly exploited it so much during the beta that DICE was forced to nerf it. The drama just keeps on going.
In fact, some players are going as far as to use real-life military situations to back up the skins. One user wrote, “You do realize blue camouflage actually exists in real life, and it is used by special forces units in the real world,” which is factual but still somewhat tricky statement, just speaking the truth. Another player replied, “That is not the same blue used in military colors and you know it.” So, even the realism claim is loaded with layers.
Then, there is the whole business side of things. A player said, “Well, since a big part of the people playing the game are casual, they will not last many seasons with gray battle passes.” Which sounds like a reasonable money point – colorful skins may sell better than dull gray ones. But then another person argued, “Good luck trying to sell those battlepass gray shit,” so what do people actually want then?
The debate even shifted to the why question of human nature regarding the playing of games in the first place. One player indeed expressed a very intriguing thought, “I honestly do not understand when this happened. People play games with their goals in mind, rather than just playing the game damned. Never once have I gone into a BF game thinking that ‘I am grinding for x so I don’t get bored.’ The point is to play the fucking game.” And to be honest? That does resonate. When did gaming become so much about rewards and progression rather than just having fun?
Another player practically echoed that viewpoint very strongly: “It’s ALWAYS this… REWARD! It is never about fun, never about laughter with friends, always about REWARD. You are addicted to dopamine!” Which,ouch. Some may view it as a critique, but the reality is that such an addiction is probably the case for many players. The whole skin system is designed to attract players, engagement, and spending, not necessarily to enhance the gameplay experience.
On the other hand, some players are still taking the matter rather coolly. For example, one user said, “At least it’s not Stan Smith or Nicki Minaj,” which is a sarcastic reference to the cross-over skins from Call of Duty that are celebrities. And they are right – the Battlefield 6 skins are still operators, not physically coded human crosses that move on the battlefield. Another user commented, “The theme is still at least containing Operators and not memes.” Thus, it is still better than it could have been.
The whole issue actually symbolizes the identity crisis that Battlefield is apparently going through. Is it a hardcore military shooter? Or at least it is trying to compete with the arcade-like feel of Call of Duty? One user made it clear: “Battlefield is about the feeling of a BATTLEFIELD. There are no ranked or dumb unrealistic CoD skins needed. Stick with your sweat lord clown streamers on CoD.” However, another user replied, “Dice said the skins would be grounded not realistic. Grounded means something one could wear not would wear.” Thus, in actuality, the designers never promised total realism in the first place.
Honestly, if people are after complete military simulation then there are other games that can deliver that. One gamer summed up the idea very well: “The skins are not that bad but if they want a milsim then they can play Arma. That’s a real milsim.” And that is 100% true. Arma is for the hardcore gamers who wish to have maximum realism in the military realm. Battlefield has always been the mid-point between arcade shooters and sims.
It’s just incredible how the entire community is so involved and passionate about this issue. Just imagine, it’s about virtual clothing in a video game, but still, there are people who are arguing and debating over military authenticity and game design philosophy. One user just commented “Some players need to get a life” which, although brutally honest, might be correct? On the other hand, however, there are those who say “The skins look great! Keep up the excellent work @Battlefield” so clearly there are players who do not mind it and even like the colorful approach.
This entire controversy really reflects how hard it is to please all gaming experiences today. Probably the most casual players are having the best time experimenting with different skins and enjoying the colors, while the hardcore military fans would always want that genuine tactical experience. DICE finds itself in a very difficult position as it’s trying to serve both sides while at the same time profiting from battle passes. It’s not an easy decision and no matter what they do, one group will always be left disappointed. Hence the great Battlefield skin war of Season 1 continues, and honestly? It’s a bit fun to watch from the side-lines.
