Battlefield Vietnam
A screenshot from Battlefield: Bad Company 2's Vietnam-set expansion EA

The next entry in DICE's first-person shooter franchise Battlefield will be a sequel to fan-favourite Bad Company 2, according to a new report from the same source that leaked Battlefield 1 two months before the game was officially announced last year.

YouTube user AlmightyDaq reports that Bad Company 3 will be released in 2018 and be set in the midsts of, and immediately after, the Vietnam War, with some Cold War settings included. He says the game may not be historically accurate.

It is also suggested that Bad Company 3 will move Battlefield away from large open maps toward smaller, more focused settings for "tighter gameplay," which would be in line with the Bad Company games to date.

As a point of reference he mentions Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 maps Batt Oasis, Harvest Day and Grand Bazaar.

When it comes to game modes AlmightyDaq lists Conquest, Rush, Operations, Domination, and Team Deathmatch: which are all staples of the series.

He also says there will be a 5-v-5 mode similar to Squad Obliteration in Battlefield 4.

Weapons will be era appropriate according to the YouTuber, with an "extensive" array of customisation options similar to Battlefield 4. This extends to customisation of characters and vehicles as well, he says.

In terms of customisation, Battlefield 1 - the last entry in the series - was held back slightly by its World War 1 setting.

When it comes to the implementation of microtransactions through purchasable loot crates called "battle packs," AlmightyDaq says the game will "not follow in the steps of Star Wars Battlefront 2".

There will be a particular focus on this given the recent controversy surrounding DICE's sci-fi shooter.

AlmightyDaq doesn't cite a source for his claims, but does say that fellow YouTube stars with connections to DICE are privy to the information.

As mentioned, the same channel shared accurate details regarding Battlefield 1 in March 2016, many weeks before the game was announced in May that same year.

Battlefield fans have long had a soft spot for the Bad Company games, which have long stood out for their personality and more memorable campaigns. At the end of its run, Bad Company 2 enjoyed a hugely successful expansion based in Vietnam.