In June 2018, EA chief creative officer Patrick Söderlund defended the decision to include playable women in Battlefield V with a blunt message to critics: “either accept it or don’t buy the game.” He was responding to criticism of the game’s reveal, which featured women soldiers. The interview captures EA’s position and the shape of the argument, but it does not settle whether the specific character and combat scenes shown were historically representative.
Who said “accept it or don’t buy the game”?
Patrick Söderlund, then EA’s chief creative officer, made the remark in a June 13, 2018 interview with Game Developer, which was then known as Gamasutra. Discussing criticism of playable women in Battlefield V, he said: “We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game.”
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| 1 |
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Battlefield V (PS4) | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Battlefield V (PS4) (Renewed) | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Battlefield V PS4 | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Söderlund also called some critics “uneducated” and said, “listen: this is a game.” His comments were a defense of the team’s creative choice, not a neutral assessment of the controversy.
What prompted the backlash?
Contemporary coverage linked the dispute to the Battlefield V reveal trailer and cover, both of which featured women soldiers. Some critics on social media argued that women fighting on the front lines in the game undermined historical accuracy or realism; other coverage described objections to women being shown in front-line combat outside certain theaters. These reports describe visible strands of the debate, not every critic’s view or a measured account of fan opinion. Game Developer’s report and PC Gamer’s contemporary account documented the historical-accuracy framing.
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- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began.
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms.
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction.
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem.
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await.
How did Söderlund defend playable women?
Söderlund said the development team had pushed for the feature and described the game as “a lot about the unseen, the untold, the unplayed.” He argued that women fought and participated in World War II, and said their inclusion was plausible. Those are Söderlund’s arguments in the interview, rather than independent historical findings.
Three questions are easy to conflate: whether women participated in World War II, the roles and theaters in which they served, and whether the particular character and combat portrayal in the game’s marketing represented a specific historical reality. The interview and contemporary coverage establish that the first two informed the debate; they do not resolve the third. A verdict on the accuracy of the particular depiction would require historical evidence beyond these accounts.
Rank #2
- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began.
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms.
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction.
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem.
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await.
Did the remark cause a delay or affect sales?
The available company announcements do not establish that Söderlund’s comment or the backlash caused a sales or reputational outcome. EA announced on August 30, 2018 that the game’s launch had moved four weeks. In the same announcement, it revised its FY2019 net bookings guidance from $5.55 billion to $5.20 billion, citing several factors: the later launch, foreign exchange rates, and a revised mobile forecast. EA said about $115 million of the guidance change was driven by foreign exchange rates. These were company forecasts, not final results or a measure of Battlefield V sales; EA did not attribute the guidance change to the controversy. EA’s August 30 announcement gives the stated reasons.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When and where did Battlefield V launch?
EA said Battlefield V became available worldwide on November 20, 2018, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Origin for PC, digitally and in stores. The launch announcement also outlined the game’s War Stories, multiplayer, and planned Tides of War content. EA’s launch announcement records the release date and platforms.
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Quick Recap
Rank #4
- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await
Rank #3
- World War 2 as you've never seen it before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began 64-Player multiplayer in the chaos of all-out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive grand operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative combined arms
- play untold war stories - witness human drama set against global combat in the single player war stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem tides of war - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await
- Firestorm now available in Battlefield V. Prepare for an all-out War of survival in a quest to become the last squad standing
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