Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Second screen technology will not be a short-lived fad, DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson believes, but a mechanic the developer will look to take advantage of in all of its games going forward.
“I’m really happy with [Battlescreen],” Gustavsson told VideoGamer.com last week, discussing Battlefield 4’s second screen functionality. “It shouldn’t be a gimmick, it should be something that ties to the game experience. I feel that the second screen, the Battlescreen, to sit on the next-generation consoles, 64 players, being squad leader, being able to order your squad and always having that overview, it really adds to the experience.”
And second screen functionality could soon become an integral part of the Battlefield experience, Gustavsson suggests.
“I think so,” he says when asked whether the tech will play an even more important role in Battlefield’s future. “We’ve challenged hard to come up with something cool this time around. There are so many thoughts and ideas that we just didn’t get around to realising. We can’t do everything.”
Gustavsson also refers to the roll-out of public wireless networks across cities as being “one area that’s super exciting since it brings so many possibilities.
“I totally agree that there are many times [where there is] big hype about new features or this game is going to do this, and sometimes they hold up and deliver and sometimes they don’t.
“In this case – it’s not up to me to say whether it’s going to hit it, it’s up to the consumers – but I do feel that if you’re into Battlefield and you want the full experience, [second screen] definitely adds to it. For me and for games made at DICE, I don’t see this as something that will go away.”
Battlefield 4’s Battlescreen lets PC and next-generation players use a mobile or tablet device to access Commander Mode, display a detailed map screen and alter their loadouts.
Battlefield 4 launches on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this Friday, November 1, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions following at the launch of each console.
DICE’s next titles, Mirror’s Edge and Star Wars: Battlefront, have yet to be dated.
