In August, the Battlefield 6 open beta was a massive success and one of the most played games of the year. But there was a controversial “quick turn” setting included in the beta that caused some debate online. And when I asked the devs why it was added, they said: Balance and customization.
Earlier this week, Kotaku sat down with two Battlefield 6 devs to discuss the game’s console ports, and I had to ask about the quick turn feature. People online suggested it looked like cheating and was too OP. Others claimed it helped balance BF6 by giving controller players a chance to turn around quickly. According to Matthew Nickerson, senior console combat designer on Battlefield 6, balancing the game was indeed one reason it was added.
This is a must have setting in #Battlefield6 Flick Look allows you to achieve an instant quick 180 in combat! pic.twitter.com/ElMW1yvrhh
— TacticalBrit (@TheTacticalBrit) August 7, 2025
“The inherent issue of including aim assist on controller,” Nickerson told Kotaku, “[is that] you constantly are doing a big sweeping motion [while looking around], you’re constantly going full speed, and then you hit the bubbles of aim assist, and it automatically slows down. So you’re kind of constantly fighting these systems that are preventing you from quickly 180 turning.”
Adding a quick flip option was a “huge win” that solved a “lot of issues” that exist when playing on a controller against mouse and keyboard players.
“You know, you get shot in the back [and] it’s frustrating to be a controller player those days,” added Nickerson.
According to him, making sure crossplay was balanced, fair, and fun was a huge goal for the entire team working on Battlefield 6. So the quick turn option, officially known as “Flick Stick,” was one more way to keep crossplay competitive for all.
The other reason for adding it? Well, because it’s cool and gives players one more way to customize their controls and gameplay. And combined with the PS5’s gyro controls, Flick Stick can do some “really cool stuff.” Plus, Nickerson told Kotaku it helps give console players more ways to interact with the game despite gamepads having far fewer buttons than a keyboard.
“If you want to reload [or turn around], maybe you just flick on your controller upright, and it activates the gyro, so it’s like another new layer of customizability,” said Nickerson.
I’m not sure I’ll be using gyro controls in Battlefield 6 when it launches on October 10 on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. But you’d better believe I’ll have a button set for turning around instantly so I can at least I can see the person killing me from behind.
