Battlefield 6 Launch Was a Predictable Dumpster Fire, But At Least EA is Giving Us Free Stuff for the Trouble
The biggest shooter launch of the year immediately face-planted thanks to EA's launcher telling people they didn't own the game. Now, the apology tour has begun, and it comes with gifts.
It’s a tale as old as time. A massively hyped online game launches, millions of players rush to log in at the exact same second, and the entire infrastructure promptly shits the bed. This time, it was Battlefield 6’s turn, but with a spicy little twist: the game itself wasn't the problem. The villain of this story was the one we all expected: the goddamn EA App.
Players trying to launch the game they just paid for were greeted with a lovely message from the EA App informing them that they didn't, in fact, own the game.
It’s the kind of spectacular, self-inflicted wound that only EA seems capable of pulling off. They want 100 million players, but on day one, their own launcher wouldn't even let people in the door.
The Predictable Apology Tour
The issue, which locked out paying customers for hours, has since been patched. But in a rare show of proactive damage control, EA is doing more than just saying "oops." They’re handing out compensation to everyone who was affected.
If you were one of the unlucky souls stuck staring at an error message, you’ll be getting a care package dropped into your in-game inbox this weekend. The package includes 12 Hardware and 12 Career 60-minute XP Boosters, which should help you catch up on some of that lost time. If you need some guidance on how to best use that time, you can check out our Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Guide to get a head start.
More importantly, EA is giving away a full seasonal Battle Pass. If you were affected and don't own the pass, you'll get the Season 1 Battle Pass for free. If you already had it because you bought the pricey Phantom Edition, they're giving you the Season 2 Battle Pass instead.
A Bumpy, But Massive, Launch
Honestly, it's a pretty generous apology for an issue that, in the grand scheme of disastrous game launches, was relatively short-lived. And the community reaction has been surprisingly positive, with many players just happy to see the problem acknowledged and fixed so quickly.
Despite the launcher apocalypse and the usual server queues, the launch has been a monumental success. The game pulled in over 700,000 concurrent players on Steam on its first day alone, proving that the hype is very, very real.
Now that the fires are out and everyone can actually play the game, your next step should be to dial in your settings. The game runs great, but you can get a serious competitive edge by making a few key adjustments. We've broken it all down in our guide to the best settings for Battlefield 6.
It seems EA is serious about keeping its massive new player base happy. Handing out free stuff is a good start. An even better step would be to finally, after all these years, build a launcher that actually works. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.