Small wonder the sense of anticipation around this one has been particularly muted.
Such omissions and scarcity of features is all collateral from EA's move from its older business model towards free, regular updates, though Battlefield 5 feels so incomplete at launch as it veers away from the dreaded season pass at times it feels more like an Early Access title.
The co-op mode that was announced at launch isn't coming until later as, for that matter, is one of the four single-player War Stories, another planned piece of post-release support. The inevitable Battle Royale mode - surely the perfect fit for DICE's own brand of chaos - isn't out until next March.
