DICE has scrapped plans to bring a competitive 5v5 multiplayer mode to Battlefield V so its dev team can focus on tackling bugs and adding other content.

The studio broke the news in a recent developer blog, and explained the decision to bin the mode wasn't made lightly. It's a particularly notable move given EA's assertion that Battlefield V is underperforming despite selling 7.3 million copies. 

Commenting on the game's performance back in February, EA chief exec Andrew Wilson suggested the shooter fell short because of poor marketing and development delays that pushed it into a more unfavorable release window.

"Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals. However, we will still pursue building a competitive gaming experience in Battlefield," explans the dev blog.

"We know that there’s already an existing competitive scene in our community, and we’re helping build features to support these communities. We want to work more closely with our players to help improve the tools that they have available to shape their play experience. This way, we can better support the places where competitive Battlefield V play already exists."