DICE, likely wanting all of today's news to not be about Call of Duty: Ghosts, dropped word that the next installment of the Electronic Arts-published Battlefield saga, Battlefield 4, would allow users to carry over stats from previous games into the next generation. Since Battlefield 4 is set to drop for the current generation hardware on October 29, that's a good way before the release of both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Sensing, therefore, that many gamers would probably choose to wait, the word came out that the stats gained in Battlefield 4 for a previous generation system—or what will be previous generation when the next generation arrives—will carry over.
There's an important caveat here, though; the carry-over effect will only be valid in-brand, that is, Xbox 360 carry-over can only go to the Xbox One, and for PlayStation 3 players, only PlayStation 4 will accept the stats. There's no cross-platform work here, so those planning a change—as some gamers are expected to do—will want to think twice about firing up Battlefield 4.
Additionally, Microsoft sweetened the pot for short-term switching by showing off the Season Pass Guarantee, in which those who buy season passes on Battlefield 4—or games like it—on Xbox 360 will be able to apply that same pass for Xbox One. Admittedly, the number of gamers that might be caught in such a conundrum doesn't seem like it would be large, but it's clear that both game publishers and platform distributors alike are looking to keep any issue that might stop a gamer from upgrading short of low budget out of the picture.
This is probably a good strategy; with a still limping global economy, the idea of spending a week's pay on a new gaming system is probably leaving some a little on the cold side. But with plenty of assurances about transferability, a lot of backpedaling (particularly on Microsoft's part) and a clear focus on what the consumer wants, this might be a particularly interesting gaming environment to walk into. Actually, in all honesty, this is the kind of thing I've wanted to see for some time now. I've always been a little unhappy—especially in games like the “Fallout” and “The Elder Scrolls” series—that the work I put in in one game doesn't carry over to another. Why can't I keep my sublimely leveled-up character to go stomping through a new series? This was actually seen previously in games like the “Ratchet and Clank” series, where weapons purchased in the first game would carry over to the second, such that users could walk in with a Tesla Claw and a Visibomb Gun, among others, right off the bat.
Granted, I know that that's not really what's going on here, but if we can bring that part of gaming into the next generation, I'd certainly welcome it. That and consider the value for gaming itself; there's a lot more incentive to play Battlefield 5 if you can keep weapons and stats and such from Battlefield 4, and the like.
The next generation of gaming is clearly going to be very big indeed. Just what will come by the end of it all, well, that's anyone's guess. But still, with a whole lot of time to go between the launch of all the new systems and the launch of the next round, there's plenty of excitement afoot.
