According to Christian Buhl, the technical director, a significant number of players participating in the open beta of Battlefield 6 were using systems close to the minimum recommended specifications.

In a recent interview, Buhl shared insights about the user data from the initial wave of PC players who entered the game earlier this month. He mentioned that among “millions of players,” a considerable faction was engaging with the game on lower-end hardware.

Buhl highlighted the efforts made by Battlefield Studios and EA to ensure the game remains accessible to those using older systems. He stated, “We created maps and had to collaborate with our artists and technical artists to enhance their performance. We dedicated significant resources to ensuring that performance targets were met, allowing players on both minimum and ultra specifications to enjoy the experience we aimed for.”

When asked about the importance of catering to players on minimum specifications, especially as PC hardware prices soar due to economic challenges, Buhl emphasized, “Minimum specifications are certainly one of our top priorities… it’s crucial from both a commercial and strategic standpoint – we want to engage as many players as possible.”

He further elaborated on the development process, sharing that extensive analysis and testing were conducted across various hardware configurations, both exceeding and falling short of the minimum and recommended specifications. The aim was to ensure a broad appeal within the PC gaming community. “It has been absolutely critical to capture a wide audience,” he noted.

Buhl was unable to specify the exact percentage of players operating at or near the minimum specifications, referring to it as a “meaningful percentage.” He also mentioned that there were players who fell below these minimum requirements, underlining the existence of this user group.

Following the interview, EA’s PR team did not disclose the specific player percentage but reiterated Buhl’s assertion that it represented a “substantial number” of gamers.

The landscape of affordable computing in the United States, the main market for Battlefield 6, is quite challenging at the moment. Rising living costs have made high-end hardware prices difficult for many enthusiasts to bear, compounded by ongoing geopolitical policies affecting international trade.

Buhl also discussed the anti-cheat measures implemented in Battlefield 6, noting their effectiveness in reducing the number of cheaters during the beta phase and acknowledging that some players faced access issues due to Secure Boot criteria. Despite these hurdles, the beta achieved remarkable popularity, becoming the most played Battlefield beta in history.