EA tells Battlefield Labs testers not to leak Battlefield 6's new big map, so of course they leaked it immediately
Surprising absolutely no one, the latest Battlefield 6 Labs playtest was live for just minutes this morning before people started leaking it onto the internet. Players in the test are the first to get to see and try out two of the large maps launching with Battlefield 6: Operation Firestorm (a remake of a Battlefield 3 map) and Mirak Valley, the largest of the pool.
Despite Labs members agreeing to NDAs to participate in early playtests, we've seen substantial leaks of every single one of them. Before Battlefield 6 even had an official name, you could watch someone play a full 15-minute match on Siege of Cairo.
What's interesting is how relatively lax EA has been about taking down playtest footage. Most videos are eventually swatted down by EA, but they often stay up for days or weeks. Assuming that's intentional, it's a savvy decision: leaks are part of the reason the hype behind Battlefield 6 is now monumental.
On Reddit, X, and elsewhere, clips showing off the scale of Mirak Valley, an early Portal map, and the return of mortars are making the rounds.
This unofficial debut of Mirak Valley marks the first time we've seen a large-scale map from the game, something fans have been loudly clamoring for since the end of the two-weekend beta that focused on close-quarters firefights.
Map layouts datamined from the Battlefield 6 client previously gave us an idea of how large Mirak Valley is, but seeing it in action is reassuring: The density of vehicles and variety of open space broken up by compounds feels very Battlefield 3 and 4. Artistically, Mirak Valley instantly reminds me of the wide, winding hills of Golmud Railway.
The Portal clip is interesting for different reasons. It shows a full playthrough of an obstacle course map made with Portal tools—a simple Only Up-style course made out of pre-fab concrete blocks, stairs, and gigantic power lines angled into precarious bridges. The map was likely made by BF Studios itself, but it does get the mind racing about what people will make once the Portal toolset (based on the Godot game engine) is out in the wild.
Oh yeah, someone also uploaded a showcase of what appears to be every weapon in Battlefield 6 at launch. No huge surprises here—as expected, it's a lot of grey, boxy rifles and SMGs whose quirks will only be apparent once we can play.
That's a lot of leaks in a short time, but if you've been following Battlefield 6 since before it had a name, you know it's what we (and EA) have come to expect. Now that we're just a month and change from release, I'd wager EA is even less worried about leaks than before. Battlefield 6 is out on October 10.