Update: Some clearer images of retail materials reveal a bit more information. The Harlem Hellfighters, which the main image clearly alludes to, is listed as a pre-order bonus. If you pre-order the game you get the “Hellfighter Pack” that has “themed items” based on the Hellfighters.
Seems a bit cheap to try and cash in on something so historical and deeply rooted in the United States’ ongoing racial division. Hopefully the Hellfighters are handled correctly and accurately, but having them as a bonus you have to pay for it pretty crass.
Original Story: Seems like Call of Duty and Battlefield really are a lot alike. Only a few days after Call of Duty had its info published early before Infinity Ward and Activision released the full trailer, DICE’s next Battlefield game was detailed only hours before the official announcement.
The new game will be called Battlefield 1 and the one teaser image that leaked on Xbox live seems to confirm that it’s set in WW1. The character on the cover strikes a strong resemblance to a member of the Harlem Hellfighters, The Hellfighters were the first all African American regiment who were notorious to the Germans in WW1 and WW2 for never losing a man to capture or battle. The Hellfighters hold a strong cultural importance since they proved that not only could African Americans serve alongside anyone else in battle, but could do so with immense bravery and courage.
The leaked retail material seems to give a release date of Oct. 18th. The WW1 setting doesn’t seem to be historical but rather inspired by, leaving DICE open to maybe playing with history and technology like Wolfenstein: The New Order did.
We’ll update this article when EA and DICE officially talk more about Battlefield 1 later today.
