Battlefield 6’s ‘Nicki Minaj’ Skin Claim is Promising, But It’ll Be Tough to Back Up

Hot off the heels of Battlefield 6’s reveal, the words “Nicki Minaj skin” being associated with the game might be setting off more than a few alarm bells. Since it was formally shown off last week, the Battlefield 6 trailer has received nine million views, and it’s pretty clear that a lot of people are excited about everything that has been shown off. A lot of people have praised the series for returning to a much more grounded, gritty aesthetic, so when celebrity cameos come up in conversation about the game, it’s certain to lead to some controversy.

Fortunately, this time, it’s for the opposite reason. In a recent interview with DBLTAP, Battlefield 6’s design director Shashank Uchil threw some shade at the competition for some of its crossover skins. In particular, it was Call of Duty’s collaboration with Nicki Minaj that Uchil picked up on, and he was keen to reassure fans that Battlefield 6 would not be following in those footsteps. It is a grounded game with a grounded look, at least for now. Still, this is all a little bit ironic when considering Battlefield’s recent history with crossover cosmetics, as 2042 made good use of other EA IPs like Dead Space for skins. As such, in a year, DICE could have to end up eating those very same words.

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Battlefield 6’s Grounded Aesthetic Is Great, but It May Not Be Long Before EA Has Its Own Nicki Minaj Moment

There’s a reason why BF6 is rocketing to the top of the Steam wishlist ahead of Battlefield 6’s open beta. For many fans, it’s the first game in a decade that has shown Battlefield at its most authentically “Battlefield.” That is to say, it’s covered in dirt and grime, and it wears this like a badge of honor. But all of this comes as a reaction to the series’ recent past, not because DICE had an intrinsic drive to portray authentic-looking, military-inspired skins. BF1 took a lot of liberties with its WW1 aesthetic, but BF5 and 2042 blew the doors off with some very out-there cosmetics. Woe betide anyone defending the caves of Iwo Jima should they have to face off a squad of four Steve Fishers.

The commitment to providing realistic skins is very encouraging, but after a year or so, Battlefield 6’s heavy emphasis on realistic skins might start to incur a variety problem. Battlefield 6 is going to have a seasonal model, with all the core content dropping for free, so it needs to make money based on players purchasing season passes and cosmetics. The problem with a mil-sim style game is that it will inevitably run out of sufficiently different new cosmetics. Love them or hate them, flashy cosmetics sell, and even if DICE doesn’t want them, there’s nothing to stop EA from seeing dollar signs and wanting to put its foot in the door with a crossover or two that fits BF6’s vibe, paving the way for something outlandish like the Nicki Minaj collab further down the road.

Battlefield 6’s Realistic Aesthetic Is Safe… for Now

So, the good news is that Battlefield 6 will not be featuring Nicki Minaj, but who’s to say that won’t change. At the moment, the game is riding high from plenty of positive buzz, benefiting enormously from all the controversy engulfing its rival, with only the latest being Call of Duty’s Beavis and Butthead skins. But as time goes on, and DICE looks to retain players, there could be a slow shift into some very familiar over-the-top territory, and some excessive collaborations are not off the table. One day in a possible future, a player may find themselves downed in a firefight, only to be dragged off by a Titanfall pilot, wondering to themselves just how realistic the game still is.

Battlefield 6

Developer(s)

Battlefield Studios

Engine

Frostbite

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op

Number of Players

Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown