‘Battlefield Hardline’ Resolution Promises Showcase Problem With Gaming Industry


It was almost a year ago when Adam Boyes from Sony stated that Battlefield Hardline would run at “1080p, 60 FPS glory” at E3 2014. While he was referring to the beta at the time, it can be inferred that it was a shot at rival Microsoft, who up until that point didn’t have many games that could make such a claim. However, when you announce a game like Battlefield would run at 1080p60, you need to deliver on the product.

However, it was revealed by that the Battlefield Hardline beta was in fact not running at 1080p60, but rather 900p on PS4. So what does this mean? Was Adam Boyes lying to consumers? Yes, and no. Also, with the news reported by the Inquisitr that the final product will be 900p on PS4 and 720p on Xbox One, will the industry HD standard ever be met on the consoles?

Adam Boyes can always rewind the tape and say that the game ran at 1080p thanks to upscaling. The final product is presented in the full resolution, however he never said that Battlefield Hardline was running natively at 1080p. Therein lies the loophole, as well as the misleading of consumers. Game developers build upon hype. It’s how games sell. Battlefield Hardline is a great looking game by all accounts. Boyes was using this knowledge and building the hype, especially since Microsoft couldn’t make the same claim about Battlefield Hardline’s resolution. However, promising one thing to consumers and delivering on another is not okay, regardless of industry.

Sell Through Playstation 4 Resolution Battlefield Hardlin

To most, this technicality won’t be an issue. Since it’s upscaled to 1080p, most won’t even realize that Battlefield Hardline isn’t truly at full HD. However, it doesn’t make the practice correct, especially when statistics prove that resolution differences are the major reason why Playstation 4 has outsold Xbox One, according to a Nielson report. With this as the major reason why units are being sold through, Boyes was playing on that idea even back in June, perhaps by planting the seed for future sales using Battlefield Hardline’s popularity to help sell the resolution/framerate of the console.

In the end, many Battlefield fans will be hard-pressed to point out the major differences between native 900p and 1080p from across a room. However, this type of consumer dishonesty with Battlefield Hardline’s numbers simply show that the industry execs will say anything to move units, even if it’s untrue at the core. This type of precedent being set by a major playing in the video game industry only opens the door for other developers to use the same tactics. While in the end, Battlefield Hardline will likely be a fantastic game, especially if the past beta is an indicator, the fact that Battlfield Hardline doesn’t truly, and never has, lived up to the hype that was built around the game hurts consumers, and developers alike.

[Images via EA, Nielsen]

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