After Patrick Söderlund departed from EA DICE, reports have surfaced stating that Battlefield V pre-orders are at a low. This should come in as no surprise given that many BFV developers on Twitter and forums told people not to buy the title after the game’s reveal fiasco, followed by Söderlund’s response to critics and fans displeasure.

According to a tweet that journalist Sarah Needleman, from the Wall Street Journal, published on August 14th, 2018, it is said that after EA DICE executive, Patrick Soderlund, departed from the company, news of low pre-orders bubbled up.

The report claims that Battlefield V‘s pre-order game is “weak,” revealing worldwide uninterest in the forthcoming title. If you’re unable to read the tweet, it states…

“Electronic Arts’ chief design officer is leaving just two months before the launch of a new installment of one of its biggest franchises, Battlefield. Patrick Soderlund had been with EA for nearly 20 years and worked out of its Dice Studio in Stockholm that makes the war-themed videogame series. Earlier this month, Cowen said pre-order sales of “Battlefield V” have been weak. It is due for release in between Activision Blizzard’s next Call of Duty game and Take-Two Interactive Software’s Red Dead Redemption sequel, both of which Cowen says are showing greater pre-order demand. Cowen says Battlefield could suffer the same fate as EA’s “Titanfall 2,” which was released in between two major game launches in 2016 and sold poorly.”

Of course, though, a lot of this can be contributed to bad marketing, developer engagement with the community, and the expectations riding from Battlefield 1 and its successful marketing campaign to the alternate politically correct depiction of the Second World War game that is Battlefield V.

Furthermore, Electronic Arts CEO, Andrew Wilson, addressed the departure of chief design officer Patrick Söderlund just before the events of low BFV pre-orders by stating that:

“Team, Today we are announcing that Patrick Söderlund has made the decision to move on from EA. After nearly two decades as a pioneer for our company and industry, he will begin a new chapter later this year. Patrick has been a trusted business partner and a great friend, and his inspiring leadership has had an outstanding impact on EA. As an integral part of the management team for many years – including as head of Worldwide Studios and, most recently, Chief Design Officer – he’s been an agent of change and transformation. From his early vision for Frostbite, which has now become a cornerstone for our technology strategy, to being a champion for Players First experiences, Patrick has always ensured we put creative at the center of everything we do. He has also been unwavering in his commitment to building our pipeline of amazing new games to come, and his fingerprints will be on the experiences that we bring to players well into the future.”

As for Battlefield V, expect its mid-life cycle to play out like the disaster that is Star Wars Battlefront 2 or Battlefield 1, the latter of which saw a steep decline in players before all of the discounts and special half-price editions hit the scene thanks to DrSquirrelBoy12 and Davidstachon:

Lastly, with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 set to debut the same month, with reports stating strong pre-orders, expect Battlefield V to face a similar fate that TitanFall 2 endured when Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare released.

Battlefield V is currently set to debut on October 19th, 2018, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.