Published on: 14/02/2022

Why Did Battlefield 2042 Fail?

When we think of Battlefield 2042, we tend to conjure up an image of a completely failed project. Within weeks of launch, the game seemed abandoned by both the developers and the players, despite being another installation in a much-beloved FPS franchise. However, Battlefield 2042 is a stand-out example of a dangerously flawed title, with almost every aspect of the entire platform having fallen short in some way. We’re here to answer the all-important question: why did Battlefield 2042 fail?

There are several issues that we can address, all of them compounding to create one cacophony of disappointment, anger, and resentment. As a community, every Battlefield fan around the world felt the sting of a failed title, especially those that persisted after the game’s launch, trying desperately to enjoy the title. The player base has dwindled to almost nothing, the game picks up very few viewers on Twitch, and there are even rumours of a Battlefield 2042 free-to-play option surfacing.

The Petition

On popular petition platform Change.org, a Battlefield 2042 petition began circulating like wildfire. At the time of writing this article, more than 192,000 people have signed a petition begging Electronic Arts to refund disappointed gamers across all platforms. There were claims of a potential class-action lawsuit surfacing, and fans in their thousands rushed to show their support to the petition.

But why did Battlefield 2042 fail to the point where almost 200,000 players sought to claim a refund?

Firstly, let’s look at the initial delivery. This was a Battlefield title stripped down to the bare bones – no single player, only a handful of maps, no destruction, and very little in the way of in-game mechanics. If there’s one thing Battlefield has always done well, it’s high-octane, destructive, large-scale combat – and Battlefield 2042 just wasn’t that. It was an empty, barren game, riddled with bugs and glitches, and an insane array of balancing and stability issues.

Now, you’d imagine that once these issues were identified, they’d be fixed, right? It took EA Dice a remarkably long time to begin addressing these concerns, and now, almost four months after launch, the game is still broken in several ways. Furthermore, EA Dice announced that the first portion of the ‘season pass’ wouldn’t be delivered until Summer 2022, essentially delaying content that players have already paid for.

Why Did Battlefield 2042 Fail?

Oh, that isn’t enough of an explanation?

Let’s look at the content delivered with the game – specifically, Hazard Zone. This game mode was promised as a viable and interesting alternative to the ever-popular Battle Royale game mode. However, what was delivered was a frail, unenjoyable, rapidly-abandoned mode that very few players even bothered to touch. While there’s something of a slight saving grace in the form of Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode, it’s too little, too late. When ranking Battlefield games, Battlefield 2042 scored the lowest.

In February of 2022, it was rumoured that a Battlefield 2042 free-to-play variant might surface, effectively ‘scamming’ all those that already paid for the title. Ultimately, there’s very, very little good news to take away from the somewhat empty world of Battlefield 2042, and it’s such a disappointing fact.

For those that are long-term fans of Battlefield, like myself, the franchise has been irreparably damaged, and it may never recover.