KEY POINTS

  • "Battlefield 1" may be available for free next week, according to game insider Tom Henderson
  • Henderson previously provided accurate leaks regarding "Battlefield 2042"
  • "Battlefield 1" is one of the few mainstream games to be set in World War 1

EA could make its World War 1 shooter “Battlefield 1” free to play next week, according to a leak from a notable game insider.

Tom Henderson, an industry insider with a reliable track record for games and series leaks, gave users a heads-up regarding “Battlefield 1” becoming available for free in a tweet, telling people to hold off on buying the game.

He did not mention which platform the giveaway is going to be on, but it’s widely assumed that it will be on Steam or Origin. Henderson previously leaked “Battlefield 2042” information that ultimately turned out to be true.

The “Battlefield” series has gained massive momentum following the announcement of “Battlefield 2042” during E3. The announcement caused a surge of players to flock back to “Battlefield 4” and its sequels, which prompted EA to provide more servers to the U.S. West region to compensate for the increased player count.

The PC version of “Battlefield 1” still enjoys a healthy population of players, with dozens of official and custom servers seeing regular bouts of traffic on a daily basis. Should EA make “Battlefield 1” free to download, it will only push the series’ momentum further and boost the hype for “Battlefield 2042” even more, just in time for the game’s release in October.

Battlefield 1's harrowing depiction of the horrors of the first World War is accurately portrayed in its environmental design
Battlefield 1's harrowing depiction of the horrors of the first World War is accurately portrayed in its environmental design Electronic Arts

This wouldn’t be the first time that a “Battlefield” game has been given away for free. In 2014, “Battlefield 3” was included in EA’s “On The House” program as a free title for anyone who claimed it within a limited time. Additionally, “Battlefield 4” was given away as a free game for Amazon Prime subscribers last month.

“Battlefield 1” is one of the very few major games to be set in World War 1. The game was praised for its extremely immersive environments and audio design as well as its improved gunplay, which felt noticeably crisper compared to that of its “Battlefield 4” counterpart.

The game has an anthology-style single-player campaign that told the stories of ordinary soldiers in a realistic and humanized portrayal of the war to end all wars. It also featured an authentic arsenal of era-accurate weaponry, from the standard-issue bolt-action rifles to experimental SMGs and lethal trench guns.

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