This overlooked Battlefield game is shutting down after 11 years, but only on Xbox and PlayStation consoles — the Steam PC version will live on, to my surprise

11 years after its release, one of the most unique and overlooked Battlefield games in the long-running Electronic Arts (EA) FPS franchise is shutting down this year — at least on some platforms.

That game is Battlefield Hardline, a 2015 entry in the series developed by the now-defunct Dead Space studio Visceral Games with support from main Battlefield developer DICE and publisher EA. Compared to other traditional installments like the new Battlefield 6 that focus on large combined-arms engagements between military forces, Hardline is instead centered around skirmishes between police officers and criminals.

Over a decade later, EA has announced that it's taking Battlefield Hardline off digital shelves on May 22 — exactly two months from now — and ending support for its online multiplayer one month later on June 22. Notably, though, this only applies to the Xbox and PlayStation versions of the title.

The PC version of Battlefield Hardline available on Steam and the EA app will surprisingly remain available to purchase, and will continue to support online play as well. Hardline's single player campaign will stay playable on all systems, as thankfully it's a fully offline experience.

The news comes less than a week after the franchise's current coalition of developers, Battlefield Studios, celebrated the 11th anniversary of Battlefield Hardline on social media:

"The decisions to withdraw particular features or modes of certain EA games, or to retire online services relating to older EA games are never easy. The development teams and operational staff pour their hearts into our games, their features and modes almost as much as the players, and it is hard to see one retired," reads EA's official statement on online service shutdowns.

"As games are replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the games that have been live for some time dwindles to a level — typically fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles — where it’s no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping the online services for these games up and running."

Indeed, all signs indicate that pretty much nobody is playing Battlefield Hardline multiplayer anymore, so it makes sense that EA has made the decision to stop supporting it. Even on Steam, one of two platforms it's remaining available on, SteamDB shows there are only 10 players on right now, a peak of 34 in the last 24 hours, and an all-time peak of...292.

Still, it's always sad to see online functionality for multiplayer games end, especially one that stands out quite a bit like Hardline does. Its distinct "cops and robbers" vibe set it apart from the rest of Battlefield, as did the presence of some creative asymmetric multiplayer modes on top of classic offerings like Conquest.

It's a good reminder that even though the "Stop Killing Games" movement has made a lot of recent headway, there's still a lot of work to be done to try and save other multiplayer-focused titles from a similar fate — and to encourage developers and players alike to work together and find long-term solutions for the sake of game preservation.

🗨️ What do you think about Battlefield Hardline?

Battlefield Hardline is a game that went completely under the radar for many players, and has always been somewhat divisive as a result of how different it is compared to regular Battlefield titles. Still, I liked that EA tried to shake the series up with this unique spinoff, and I'm sad to see multiplayer support for it end on Xbox and PlayStation.

I'd like to hear from you: what did you think of Battlefield Hardline? Did you play it, and if so, were you a fan? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.