‘Battlefield 1’ Getting Female Soldiers in Next DLC

Samantha Loveridge
Games
Games

EA Games has shed some light on the next major Battlefield 1 DLC, called In the Name of the Tsar. You’ll be getting a first look at the expansion at EA Play in June, but there’s one particular tidbit that has got our ears pricked – female soldiers are finally coming to Battlefield 1.

Female soldiers have never actually appeared in a Battlefield game to date, but it is historically accurate. WWI saw Russia form 15 women’s battalions, including the 1st Russian Women’s Battalion of Death, which will be the battalion featured in Battlefield 1 DLC In the Name of the Tsar.

Battlefield 1 DLC In the Name of the Tsar

Previously women had petitioned to be able to join regular military units and merged with formerly all-male platoons, but from the spring of 1917, women started pressuring the Russian Provisional Government to create special female-only battalions and won. Mostly because the Russian government thought it would make for great propaganda.

Russia was the only nation to deploy women in substantial numbers, but the female battalions were disbanded before WWI actually ended.

Developer DICE shared some early concept images in its official Battlefield 1 art book (called The Art of Battlefield 1), which gives us some idea of what the female soldiers could look like.

Female Soldier Battlefield 1

The above image could well be showing off a character model for a female Russian soldier that we’ll be seeing when In the Name of the Tsar launches later this year.

In the Name of the Tsar will add the Russian army to Battlefield 1, along with introducing new maps and new weapons. It will drop later this summer, but look out for the first look at EA Play on June 10. EA Games will also be showing off Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the next Need for Speed game at the special show, which runs alongside E3 2017.

Samantha Loveridge
Sam is the UK Gaming Editor at Fandom. She's been addicted to games since she first got her paws on a GameBoy and hasn't looked back.