There has been a lot of excitement aboutBattlefield 6ever since footage ofBattlefield Labsplay testing began to leak a little while ago. Fans have noticed many exciting changes, notably to destruction, tone, and some new features, and the discourse has mostly been one of cautious optimism. WithBattlefield 6a ways off yet, there will undoubtedly be plenty of information from fresh leaks in the coming months as the game is refined.
However, the tone of the conversation has been getting more fractious in the last couple of weeks. Most notably, there has been a lot of controversy about adatamine of Skill-Based Matchmaking inBattlefield Labs, causing many long-time players of the series to take to social media and express frustration. The whole fallout regarding SBMM could be for nothing, though, and the controversy raises questions about the way the community latches on to new leaks.
Systems Being Tested in Battlefield Labs Are Not Guaranteed to Be in Battlefield 6
Battlefield Fans Shouldn’t Worry About SBMM Just Yet
In a response to a Reddit thread, aBattlefieldCommunity Manager responded to immense criticism thatBattlefield 6was clearly going to use SBMM. They reminded fans that Labs is a test environment, and things will be tried there that might not make it into the game. This isn’t the first time that a potential feature has caused some outrage, as there was another leak that claimedonly Portal would have a server browser, and not the main experience. These piecemeal leaks have not sat well with some, and the closed nature of the testing has caused more than a few fans to speculate that the game is going in the wrong direction.
As the Community Manager pointed out, though, these additions are to be expected from a test environment. While many betas for games today have been described as early demos to whip up excitement,Battlefield Labsis a strictly controlled stage to test features. Sessions normally last for a few hours before being taken offline; the experience changes between each one, and players are under a strict NDA to not share information. According to DICE, this is all intentional. Every test allows them to gather feedback on the changes made so that future features can suit the player base.
Battlefield Labs Paints an Incomplete Picture of the Final Game
There will always be plenty of guesswork around leaks. Fans do not have the full picture, and devs might be cautious about revealing too much in case someone with no context gets the wrong idea. It is for exactly this reason thatspeculation aroundBattlefield 6needs to be kept in check. Rampant speculation based on only a few details can cause a lot more harm than good, as players tend to fill information vacuums with their worst fears. It can be alarming to see a disliked feature pop up in a favorite game, but inLabs, everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because nothing is guaranteed.
In their post, the Community Manager stressed that the recent leaks have not all been helpful, commenting that players will have their access revoked if they are found to be leaking information. Leaks are always going to be a natural part of the process as players get excited, and DICE’s approach stands in contrast toMarathon’s NDA changes, where players are instead permitted to share their footage. Each circumstance is different, however, and a public approach forMarathonmay not work forBattlefield 6, as the unhealthy speculation has shown here. The nextBattlefieldis a little while away yet, and while a lot has been shared about Labs, it is probably best not to take any leaks as set in stone.
