Electronic Arts (via PC Gamer) continues to reveal more about their upcoming first-person shooter Battlefield V. Today they revealed a new mode called Airborne, that will feature players parachuting down into battle. Most interesting, though, it might very well be setting the stage for a battle royale mode down the line.

Airborne mode will be just one of the many multiplayer offerings inside Battlefield V when DICE's latest shooter releases October 19. The first-person shooter will feature three main pillars: War Stories, which are narrative-focused missions that will serve as the game's campaign mode, a cooperative campaign that allows up to four players called Combined Arms, and then the core multiplayer experience that has been in all of the past games. One thing that's new is that EA is treating the game as a live service, and won't be charging money for new maps and weapons.

The new multiplayer mode will pit two different teams of players against each other. One side will be tasked with parachuting onto the battlefield in order to destroy enemy artillery. The other will be trying to defend their weaponry, while also trying to take down the parachuting foes. It's certainly different from anything Battlefield has featured in the past.


Considering how large the maps are in Battlefield, and the fact that multiplayer modes (in addition to the cooperative campaign) will involve players parachuting down from the air, it's hard not to wonder if a battle royale mode could be in Battlefield V's future. Electronic Arts has already said that limited time events and modes will be a large part of the game's Tides of War live service, so it could be the perfect place for a battle royale variant to be tested. If successful, and it'd be shocking if it wasn't, it could become a mainstay of the online experience.

Battle royale speculation aside, Airborne mode sounds like a great twist on a defense mode. The two opposing teams have distinct goals and roles to play. The added layer of verticality is particularly interesting, and being able to drop in from the air opens up a lot of strategies. Do players go for a bold overhead strike, or land far away in order to try to take the enemy by surprise? There's a ton of possibilities.