Battlefield 5's first chapter update delayed by technical issues
UPDATE: Now releasing tomorrow.
UPDATE 4/12/19, 11pm: DICE has announced that it's now resolved the "issue" found in Battlefield 5's first free post-launch DLC update, which resulted in a delay to its originally intended launch of today.
As such, Battlefield 5's Chapter 1: Overture update - which kicks off the game's new "Tides of War" live service - will now release tomorrow, December 5th.
In its announcement on Twitter, the developer offered its "sincerest apologies" for the delay, explaining that "The team agreed it was best for the game's health to hold off and fix the issues, so thank you for being so understanding!".
Good news! The #Battlefield Chapter 1: Overture update is locked and loaded for deployment tomorrow, December 5th.
— Battlefield (@Battlefield) December 4, 2018
Our sincerest apologies for the delay. The team agreed it was best for the game’s health to hold off and fix the issues, so thank you for being so understanding! pic.twitter.com/2x3NvbGU7s
ORIGINAL STORY 4/12/19, 1.30pm: It's a little unfortunate, but Battlefield 5's first free DLC update - which was due to release today - has now been postponed due to technical problems.
Aside from sounding like the start of an orchestral piece, Chapter 1: Overture is the initial part of Battlefield's new "Tides of War" live service system, and is supposed to provide players with a host of new content. Despite forming an essential part of Battlefield's flagship post-launch plans, the team at DICE has chosen to withhold the update "rather than create issues in the game".
The good news is the delay doesn't sound too severe, and DICE has promised to issue a further update on the situation at some point today.
The team has discovered an issue with the #Battlefield Chapter 1: Overture update. Rather than create issues in the game, we’re holding the update for the time being. We don’t anticipate a long delay and we’ll be back with more news tomorrow or as soon as we have it. pic.twitter.com/bc6xlWPc8e
— Battlefield (@Battlefield) December 3, 2018
When the update does roll out, players will be able to access a new map called Panzerstorm (set in Belgium), a practice range, vehicle visual customisation, and a War Story called The Last Tiger. This episode, by the way, requires the player to command a German Tiger 1 tank in the final days of the war - so it should be interesting to see how DICE handles the whole playing-on-the-Nazi-side thing.
On top of this, Overture will introduce weekly events, each with a "series of challenges that lets you earn new Tides of War rewards". We'll have to see how this works in practice.
The Tides of War season narrative was created to avoid problems similar to Battlefield 1's premium pass, which essentially split Battlefield's player base between premium and standard maps. As executive producer Aleks Grøndal told me at Gamescom, DICE is hoping it will also allow them to "be a lot more flexible" and to "experiment a little more" with the game's content. Better late than never.
