'Battlefield 1' News: WW1 Theme Criticized For Being Too Realistic, DICE Responds [VIDEO]

Battlefield 1 debuted with near universal acclaim, with both fans and critics applauding the game for its choice of theme and its beautiful, intricate graphics. Indeed, the game's trailer has now become one of YouTube's most-liked videos, with more than a million upvotes. However, dissenting voices have sprung up lately, criticizing the game for choosing World War I as its theme.

Their reason? The First World War is far too traumatic and realistic. Thus, WWI must not be glorified in a AAA FPS title. Considering that the game would feature intense hand to hand combat and trench warfare, the critics of the game's theme do have a point. After all, WWI is a war which is considered as one of the most wasteful wars ever fought, with lines of soldiers dying every day just to gain a few feet of territory.

In an interview, however, Battlefield 1's producer, Aleks Grondal, stated that DICE is fully aware of the thematic repercussions of setting the game in the First World War. The producer further addressed the concerns about the content of the upcoming game.

"We're not making a documentary on the Great War. This is a fresh take. This is a take where we're applying our DICE flavors to the era and the setting. That's really just a backdrop for what the game is in the end," he said.

While the criticisms regarding Battlefield 1's theme might have some point, one has to keep in mind that other wars, such as the Second World War or the Iraq War, have also been featured prominently in other popular games, and rarely do FPS fans complain about the themes of those games.

In fact, games that are based on the Second World War are so common, even freeplay mobile games featuring the conflict have become a dime a dozen. Games featuring the Nazis, for one, are featured in games from FPS to survival horror games. And yet, for these games, there have been very few criticisms.

Thus, with regards to Battlefield 1's theme, it is important to remember that the game marketed towards mature gamers. Considering that a huge number of Battlefield players are adults, there is a pretty good chance that those who would play the game would have the necessary mental capacity to handle the upcoming game's themes pretty well.