Steve Papoutsis – vice president/general manager at developer Visceral Games and executive producer for the upcoming cops-versus-robbers-themed first-person shooter Battlefield Hardline – has recently taken to Twitter to further detail some aspects of the upcoming spin-off to the Battlefield franchise.
First and foremost, while previous reports suggested a second beta for Hardline coming exclusively to current-generation consoles and PC, Papoutsis has revealed that last-generation owners will also be able to participate – “Beta [is] coming to all platforms before launch,” says the executive producer. According to him, Battlefield Hardline looks to include a staggering 150 ranks in total – “We’ve been playing with the exact number, but it’s looking to be 150 at launch,” continues Papoutsis. When asked about benefits for pre-existing Battlefield Premium members and Veteran Rewards, the executive producer firmly responded with a “yes”.
Additionally, Hardline will also include two eSports modes – “We plan to have 2 eSports modes,” Papoutsis explained. “We haven’t announced the 2nd yet. Stay tuned.” The game will feature five modes in total, though – surprisingly – there’s no cooperation mode planned. Moreover, reports suggest that we’ll get a better look at Battlefield Hardline’s vehicle-focused mode – Hotwire – sometime in mid-September. The developer also “plan[s] to have [a] Spectator Mode as well…” More confirmed details include an M1911 hand gun, M416 assault rifle, ballistic shield, and a Team Deathmatch game-mode, in addition to new vehicles and weapons. He also confirmed that weapons in Hardline will not be affected by visual recoil.
If you’re unaware of Battlefield’s newest direction, know that Battlefield Hardline features a new variety of gameplay that breaks away from the traditional Battlefield game-modes. The focus of the game has been shifted to police and the “war on crime”, breaking away from the military setting that has hitherto characterized the series. As such, the main factions in Hardline are the police Special Response Units and Criminals. Players will have access to various military-grade weapons and vehicles, such as the UH-60 Blackhawk, as well as having police equipment, such as tasers and handcuffs.