Battlefield 2042 has been released so unclean that especially the players punish it hard. The problems lie not only on a technical level, but also in the design decisions. In order to shed some light on this, the well-connected insider Tom Henderson unraveled in a YouTube video how Battlefield 2042 could even become the problem child.
His information is based primarily on sources that consist of both former and active developers of DICE. To be clear: none of this has been officially confirmed by EA or DICE. Nevertheless, it offers a logical attempt at explanation.
1. Battlefield 2042 wanted to copy competition
One of the biggest problems of Battlefield 2042 is said to have been the tunnel vision of the competition like Fortnite and PUBG. While developers are said to have pitched impressive concepts, EA decided that what is popular should be copied. The ideas, which may have been ahead of their time, were rejected, which is said to have led to employee frustration.
2. Apparently problems in the development team
The lack of creative freedom is said to have ultimately led to important Battlefield developers leaving the studio and setting up their own studios. Ex-DICE boss Patrick Söderlund is now head of Embark Studios, which wants to present an ambitious project with Arc Raiders at the Game Awards:
From former Battlefield creators
Sci-fi action with top graphics
According to Henderson, this left a young and therefore less experienced team to get the dusty Frostbite engine back on track, which supposedly took 18 months instead of the planned six months. Further work stress and frustration about the management should have arisen because the game was developed for five platforms at the same time.
The studio is said to have finally admitted in March 2021 that DICE needed reinforcement in the development of Battlefield 2042.
3. Originally conceived as a Battle Royale?
With Hazard Zone, Battlefield 2042 has a mode that is somewhat reminiscent of Battle Royale. According to Insider Henderson, this is no coincidence, but should be due to the fact that the shooter was initially designed as a pure battle royale game. As requested by EA, it should have oriented itself towards the competition. Loot boxes with specialists should also be possible, which would enable further profits. This is supposedly also a reason why the typical classes had to give way to the specialists.
The original BR concept is said to have been converted into Hazard Zone.
From April to August 2020, the battle royale concept was finally converted into a classic battlefield, just with 128 players, specialists and large maps. That would also explain features such as the plus system of weapons and the call-in for vehicles, which Henderson says should come from the BR development phase.
The insider is not entirely sure, but he says that the great success of Call of Duty Warzone was probably the main reason to upset everything again.
4. There was simply not enough time
According to Henderson, post production of the realigned Battlefield finally began after the restructuring in August 2020. However, that would also mean that the game in this form only had a year and three months to develop. On the one hand, that would be too short for a battlefield, on the other hand, working conditions were still difficult worldwide due to the corona pandemic.
Nevertheless, in February 2021 it was said that DICE was further in development than planned. This statement is said to have been made based on a prediction rather than a fact. The fact that they lagged behind with the schedule should be clearly seen in the unstable technical test and the postponements of the beta and the final game. The problematic launch finally confirmed the unfinished state.
You can watch Henderson’s full explanation again in his video:
Link to YouTube content
If Henderson’s statements were all true, it would become clear how problematic the development of Battlefield 2042 was. Either way, DICE didn’t have the time to deliver a game that won’t be remembered for its disastrous release.
What’s next for Battlefield 2042?
Since the release, DICE has been working with updates for Battlefield 2042 to get the bugs and technical problems under control. Thanks to Seasons, there will also be completely new content such as maps and even the future of the Battlefield franchise itself is already emerging. So Henderson speaks of a future Battlefield game that paves the way Direction Hero Shooter should go. Meanwhile, the air burns in the community.
Table of Contents
