DICE Reveals Community Test Environment For Upcoming 'Battlefield 1' Features

DICE announced a so-called Community Test Environment (CTE) that will allow gamers to experience and provide feedback on upcoming content for Battlefield 1.

The studio said the CTE is meant to serve as a testing ground not just for new features, but also for changes to current content and even some experiments that might otherwise not be available in the public version of an update. At its launch, the CTE will be used to stabilize and test the latest update for Battlefield 1. Additional content will come later.

DICE isn’t the first game to add this feature. Last year, Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment created a Public Test Server (PTS) for The Division to root out any lingering issues and tweak any stats before the release of a major update. In fact, the studio is using the server to test out the new update (version 1.6) and The Last Stand downloadable content. Massive said the PTS would only be accessible if it needed to analyze changes or new content to the game before release; DICE hasn’t mentioned if the CTE will work in the same way.

For now, the CTE will be available only on PC, although the studio wants to include console players in the future. You also need a Battlefield 1 Premium Pass to participate. Even then you might not get access to the CTE: DICE said it will send invites to a select few as well as “Battlefield veterans.” For everyone else, you can register to join via the Battlefield Companion App, which is available for Android, iOS, and Windows 10 Mobile devices.