The launch of Battlefield 2042 did not exactly go as intended, with questionable design decisions, bugs, and a general lack of polish quashing early pre-launch enthusiasm for the game. So, what exactly went wrong? Reliable Battlefield insider Tom Henderson has stepped in with a new video that runs down the whole sordid story, which you can check out below if you have around 30 minutes to spare.
As we’ve previously heard from Henderson, Battlefield originally began as a battle royale game, with EA rejecting other pitches (including Bad Company 3) in favor of chasing whatever trends were popular at the time. Eventually, the decision was made to switch to a more traditional Battlefield approach, with full production beginning in August of 2020, meaning the version of Battlefield 2042 we got was only in development for around 15 months. It became clear the project was in trouble as early as March of 2021, but engine issues made it difficult for other EA studios to help get the game on track.
Unfortunately, according to Henderson, the state of Battlefield 2042 hasn’t taught EA anything about the dangers of trend-chasing. Apparently, the next Battlefield is slated to be a hero shooter, with smaller squads/individuals fighting against each other rather than larger armies. New Battlefield masterminds Vince Zampella and Macus Lehto are said to be on board for this direction, and the talk of an “expanded Battlefield universe” will mostly be about adding Apex-Legends-esque depth to the game’s Specialists.
Of course, take this with a grain of salt for now. Henderson does mention that things aren’t set in stone at the moment, so perhaps things may change. That said, it’s pretty clear EA is looking hungrily at other popular multiplayer shooters – whether that be Call of Duty, Fortnite, or their own Apex Legends – and hoping to replicate their success with Battlefield.
Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5. What do you think about this latest set of rumors? Are you mourning the possible passing of traditional Battlefield, or are you okay with the idea of a hero shooter?
