I've owned Battlefield 4 since release day and regularly played its multiplayer on my Xbox 360 and recently on my Xbox One. Since the day I bought it I knew for certain that I had zero interest in the campaign mode. I didn't even bother installing the campaign disc on my 360. Battlefield is a series that I play for its multiplayer. Aside from the humorous Bad Company story modes, I had no interest in playing a generic military campaign.
After buying Battlefield 4 again on my Xbox One, I realized just how amazing the game looks. In the middle of my first couple of multiplayer matches I would actually stop and admire the beautiful graphics. It may seem silly, but it was these graphics that convinced me I should try out the campaign. I figured if the multiplayer looks great then the single player must look fantastic and maybe the story is actually interesting.
I finished the campaign, and it was exactly what I thought it would be. Linear, generic story where you just shoot stuff and move on. I beat it a couple of days ago and I can't even tell you what the story was about. It certainly wasn't bad or anything. It just wasn't memorable, not like the Bad Company games, which had likable characters and large battlefields with which to tackle objectives in multiple ways.
I miss these guys.
So after finishing the campaign, it got me thinking: would Battlefield's campaign be missed? If DICE announced that Battlefield 5 will be a multiplayer only game, would there be a big outcry? I'm sure some people would dislike this decision, but I doubt it would impact sales in any significant way. After all, the majority of people who buy Battlefield games buy it for its 64 (or 24) player matches. The name itself is basically associated with it. DICE doesn't even hide what its priorities are. Open the Xbox 360 version of the game and you'll be greeted with two discs; Disc 1: Multiplayer and Disc 2: Campaign. Even the game's main menu lists 'MULTIPLAYER' as its first option.
There's something to be said about first person shooter campaigns in general. They make sense for a game like Halo or Far Cry because they actually have a story to tell and offer plenty of variety. Even a multiplayer only game like Titanfall can have a good single player story with its futuristic sci-fi setting. It even makes sense for Call of Duty with its movie like set piece moments, something the series has become known for. DICE has proved they can craft a good story through its Bad Company series, but it seems like they lost their way in trying to capture the Call of Duty audience. And so I ask again: would you miss Battlefield's campaign?