The Battlefield franchise has long been seen as one of the biggest competitors to Call of Duty, which takes the top-selling game spot pretty much every year. Last year saw the release of Battlefield 2042, which EA touted as a true "next-gen" experience. However, Battlefield 2042 reviews were mostly negative, the community has taken issue with it, and EA now reportedly considers it a disappointment, apparently even considering making it free-to-play in some capacity.
That last bit of information comes from Tom Henderson, a reputable leaker that regularly releases information about upcoming games, particularly in the FPS space. While Henderson's track record is best with Call of Duty, he's also shared plenty of accurate Battlefield information in the past, including Battlefield 2042's reveal date. Now, the leaker is shedding more light on how EA views Battlefield 2042 internally.
On Twitter, Henderson stated that EA is "very disappointed" with how Battlefield 2042 has performed and is now "'looking at all the options' when it comes to the title." Henderson went on to state that those options include making Battlefield 2042 free-to-play in some capacity, though it's unclear if that would simply mean certain elements of Battlefield 2042 would be available for free, or the entire game with overhauled store mechanics. Henderson will apparently have more to say tomorrow.
It's not difficult to see where EA's reported disappointment in Battlefield 2042 comes from. It launched with a heap of technical issues, a lackluster selection of weapons, and many other problems. Community feedback has been mostly negative thus far, as fans vent their frustrations about the slim offering of content, the Specialist system, and poor communication from the development team. The question, then, is what the path forward for Battlefield 2042 is, and whether it's worth trying to save in the first place.
For some, free-to-play is an appealing option. The current-gen versions of Battlefield 2042 run $69.99, while last-gen versions run the standard $59.99. That amount of money could be redirected to a different triple-a release, several indie games, or put into the store for extra skins if Battlefield 2042 were to adopt a free-to-play model. However, it may also cause issues with those that already bought Battlefield 2042, and gamers that are opposed to premium stores.
EA is in between a bit of a rock and a hard place. The response to Battlefield 2042's beta was lukewarm at best and negative at worst, so the best course of action was to do what Halo Infinite did and delay it out further. Things are muddled now, though. Battlefield 2042 might not end up going free-to-play, but it's clear that it needs fundamental changes.
Battlefield 2042 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.