Battlefield 2042
Even before DICE announced it was working on the next Battlefield, rumors circulated about it for a while. The return to a more modern setting and very large maps were just a few things mentioned and when the developer confirmed other studios like Criterion were helping to make it the biggest Battlefield game yet, the excitement was palpable. Finally, Battlefield 2042 was unveiled last Summer and made an impact with its trailer full of callbacks to classic community shenanigans.
Wingsuits, destructible environments, weather phenomena like massive tornadoes running through maps, 128-player matches – it seemed like a dream come true for Battlefield fans. The fact that there was no campaign and a $70 price tag on current-gen consoles – which of course enjoyed all of the new features – only slightly dulled enthusiasm. Battlefield Portal was also eventually revealed, showcasing older Battlefield content which players could partake in with various custom rulesets and match variants.
However, excitement turned to concern when the game missed its first open beta date. It was slated to begin in early September, then rumored for later that month and finally confirmed for October…after the full game was delayed to November. Things seemed a little dicey but surely more time for polish couldn’t be a bad thing. Once fans tried the beta, though, it was obvious that the sheer number of design, performance and technical issues couldn’t just be fixed in a matter of weeks.
And once again, as much as many wanted to believe the full game would be better, Battlefield 2042 launched in a miserable state. Enough has been said about the sheer range of missing features from previous games, the terrible gunplay, horrendous map design, weapon and vehicle balance and so on. The game still sits at a 28 percent “Mostly Negative” score on Steam based on over 108,000 user reviews.
DICE has spent significant time and effort to improve on it, revamping the Scoreboard and re-balancing weapons, and officially dropping support for the Tarkov-esque Hazard Zone. And while new content is on the way, there’s no shaking the feeling that EA will dip on the title once it fulfils current Year 1 obligations (especially with rumors of the next Battlefield already being in the works).
