Battlefield is a series of first-person shooter video games that started out on Microsoft Windows and OS X with its debut video game, Battlefield 1942, which was released in 2002. The series is developed by Swedish company EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and is published by American company Electronic Arts. The series features a particular focus on large maps, teamwork and vehicle warfare than most other first-person shooters. The PC games in the series are mainly focused on online multiplayer. The Battlefieldseries has been played by more than 50 million players worldwide as of 2012,[1] across 11 games and 12 expansion packs released since its inception in 2002. The series’ music has a recognizable 6-beat sting.
Battlefield series games usually focus on large, online multiplayer battles, but the series will contain a new Cops-vs-Robbers theme with the release of Battlefield Hardline. This new title will likely not have nearly the emphasis on piloting vehicles as previous titles have, yet there will still be a number of vehicles as well as team-based infantry combat. Playing in squads has also become a major element of games in the series.
Since Battlefield 2, all games in the series centrally record online statistics for each player allowing the players to receive rank promotions and weapon unlocks based on their statistics as well as awards such as medals, ribbons and pins.
A class system has been present within all the Battlefield games. Each class features a different type of primary weapon along with different equipment, differentiating roles on the battlefield.
The ability to melee other players with a knife has always been present in Battlefield games. Also since Battlefield 2142, the series has included an award of dog tags for each player killed using a knife.
