Summary
Despite obtaining cult classic status and repeated calls for its return in recent years, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that players will ever see aBattlefield: Bad Company 3. A single-player focused spin-off from EA and DICE’s acclaimed shooter series,Battlefield: Bad Companyand its sequelsaw players take control of Private Preston Marlowe and the rag-tag commandos of Bad Company in campaigns that deftly blended comedic writing and high-octane action. Despite leaving a lasting mark on the FPS genre thanks to its unique tone and highly destructible environments, the franchise has lain dormant since 2010’sBattlefield: Bad Company 2.
While fans of the franchise have clamored for a thirdBattlefield: Bad Companygame for years, EA and DICE have shown little interest in reviving the series. And with recentmainlineBattlefieldgamesfailing to capture audiences’ attention the way that earlier entries often did, the odds of DICE reviving the spin-off series look slimmer than ever. Although remakes of the originals are always a possibility, offering EA a chance to cash in on fans’ nostalgia without the expense of a full-fledged sequel, it seems unlikely players will get a new story with protagonist Preston Marlowe and the rest of Bad Company any time soon.
Even though theBattlefield: Bad Companygames continue to have a dedicated fan base, bringing the franchise back for a third round could prove tricky. One of the biggest challenges for DICE would be drumming up excitement for a single-player shooter in an FPS landscape largely dominated by multiplayer and live-service titles. With even the once-legendaryCall of Dutycampaignsnow reduced to little more than extended tutorials for the games’ multiplayer modes, generating interest in a story and characters many modern gamers have no familiarity with could prove difficult.
Another option for DICE would be to double down on multiplayer forBattlefield: Bad Company 3, but this would come with its own problems. AlthoughBattlefield: Bad Company’smultiplayer modes were well-received, even introducing mechanics that would make their way into the mainline games, splitting the franchise’s playerbase between two different series would be a risky move. Withthe nextBattlefieldgamereportedly already in development, releasing a thirdBad Companycould potentially cannibalize its sales before it even launches.
DICE also has the option of remaking or remastering the originalBattlefield: Bad Companyfor modern hardware. As shown by the overwhelming success ofMotive Studios’Dead Spaceremake in 2023, a well-made remake can draw in both new and old players to a classic franchise. But recapturing the spark that made theBattlefield: Bad Companygames so unique could be tough, with many of the features that made them unique having been widely adopted in subsequent years.
Battlefield: Bad Company’s destructible environments, in particular,might prove to be less of a draw for players than when the games were initially released. Though few titles offer the same level of destruction as theBad Companyseries even today, recent shooters likeThe Finalshave expanded on the formula EA established and taken environmental destruction to new heights. In an FPS market where players can now bring entire skyscrapers to the ground, the admittedly impressive but smaller-scale destruction of aBattlefield: Bad Companyremakemay not hold much appeal.
With both the franchise that spawned it and the gaming landscape as a whole having changed drastically over the last decade, it seems unlikely that gamers will ever getBattlefield: Bad Company 3. Unfortunately for fans of the unique series of spin-off shooters, DICE may have simply waited too long and missed its opportunity to finally give players what they’ve been pleading for.
