The Battlefield series has never really been able to crack the esports scene, but DICE was promising to change that with a full 5v5 competitive mode for Battlefield V. Well, don’t get your hopes up for a competitive Battlefield career just yet – the 5v5 mode has now been cancelled.

　　According to Battlefield V senior producer Ryan McArthur, the competitive mode was axed so DICE can focus on some of the game’s issues and getting content out faster.

　　The focus on improving the quality of the Battlefield V experience and adding more of the content you want has led us to step back from our original plans to offer a competitive 5v5 mode. Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals. However, we will still pursue building a competitive gaming experience in Battlefield. We know that there’s already an existing competitive scene in our community, and we’re helping build features to support these communities. We want to work more closely with our players to help improve the tools that they have available to shape their play experience. This way, we can better support the places where competitive Battlefield V play already exists.

　　McArthur also detailed some of what we can expect from Battlefield V’s late-summer updates, including two all-new maps, and a reimagining of a classic. Here are the details…

　　Provence and Lofoten Islands

　　Specifically designed for fans of tighter and tactical combat, Provence and Lofoten Islands will let you charge through alleyways in occupied France and deploy right into fast-paced combat across two Norwegian islands. The infantry-only design of the maps means several flanking opportunities, but beware the ambushes and chokepoints. These new maps will arrive in the 4.4 update and initially feature two modes – Squad Conquest and Team Deathmatch.

　　Reimagining a Classic Map

　　In update 4.6 this September, we’ll be delivering the Operation Underground map on Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Breakthrough, and Squad Conquest. Coming later with Tides of War for a limited time, Rush will be playable on the map, too. This is our reimagining of Operation Métro and it’s something that we’re having a ton of fun playing internally. It’s being worked on by the map’s original creator, and while it has the familiar spirit of Métro which long-time fans will enjoy, the gameplay feels really fresh.

　　The Al Sundan Map and Other Updates

　　Seeing you deploy on the North African battlefield of Al Sundan has been great – and we know you’re patiently waiting on the map on the larger modes. The map has not been available on all intended modes due to unwanted issues that came with Chapter 4, which unfortunately created an unusual graphical problem we haven’t found a solve for yet. You can play on Al Sundan today on Squad Conquest and Team Deathmatch without that graphical problem, but we naturally want this map to function properly across all intended modes, such as Conquest, where this vast desert map really shines. The team is pushing to get the fix into our 4.6 release next month, but we can’t confirm that just yet.

　　Battlefield V is available now on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The 4.4 update should drop within the next week or so, while update 4.6 will arrive in September. Battlefield V Chapter V, which takes the action to the Pacific Theater, will launch later this year.