Battlefield Hardline
Battlefield Hardline's new Rescue mode in action. EA

EA has confirmed that Battlefield Hardline on Xbox One suffered a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on 17 March, the Visceral-developed game's North American release date.

Initial server connectivity troubles had given fans cause for alarm given the huge problems suffered by the last game in the series – Battlefield 4 – following its release in 2013. However, the official Battlefield Twitter account acknowledged the problems before identifying the cause as a DDoS attack.

What is a DDoS attack?

DoS (Denial of Service) attacks are malicious attempts to disrupt a network service or website by targeting its servers with rapidly repeated requests for connection. This overloads the server's resources and effectively blocks legitimate users from connecting to it.

DDoS (Distributed DoS) attacks are an evolution of this premise, whereby multiple systems contribute to flooding a server. This is often done using botnets and/or software operated by users intending a coordinated attack.

Otherwise, the spin-off shooter's launch appears to have been a smooth one, with the PS4, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 versions holding up well. The reason may be a staggered launch with the servers having been live for some players since 12 March, when the EA Access trial version began on Xbox One.

Following the problems which plagued DICE's Battlefield 4, a steady launch was a bare minimum requirement for the follow-up, especially given it is far from the large scale of BF4. It would seem Visceral have succeeded in this regard.

The North American release date will be followed by the EU launch on Thursday, 19 March, then the UK release on Friday, 20 March.

Our review of the single player campaign is live with a multiplayer review coming at the end of the week.

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