Battlefield 2042 is going to great lengths to compete with Call of Duty on a new level. EA DICE's latest iteration of its online multiplayer shooter is going bigger and flashier than ever, with Battlefield 2042 offering 128-player matches and expansive post-launch content support. Battlefield 2042 won't even feature a single-player campaign, to further confirm its focus on robust multiplayer content. But Battlefield 2042 is also taking lessons from Call of Duty, too, adding one feature Call of Duty fans are now well familiar with.
It's not a game-changing feature, by any means, but Battlefield 2042 will be implementing third-person executions/finishing moves for the first time in the franchise. This is a feature already used in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone, going back to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It's also used in other online first-person multiplayer games like Apex Legends. In other words, EA DICE is adopting a feature that it believes will make Battlefield 2042 better in a way that other games are already doing.
For those unfamiliar with third-person melee executions, they're very simple. When a player sneaks up on another, they're able to perform a one-hit attack that instantly kills their foe. In past games, this would be firmed with a basic melee attack -- quick and easy. The new feature allows the player to perform an execution, which switches the camera to third-person to execute a cinematic moment with unique animations. It makes the typically perfunctory attack into a scene from an action movie scene.
The unwritten importance of execution animations is that they're a feature that can be monetized. Electronic Arts will be able to put unique execution animations into its battle passes or sell them in a shop. As such, the decision to implement executions in Battlefield 2042 may be less about adding a cool, fun feature and more about adding a new way to monetize the game.
The report about executions in Battlefield 2042 comes from DualShockers' Tom Henderson, who has been a reliable source for news about the game. That said, the feature has not been officially announced for Battlefield 2042 yet. It's possible the information could be inaccurate or that plans could change.
The addition of third-person animated executions is a small example of how Battlefield 2042 is changing with the times. It's a feature that adds moments of cinematic action to the game, but it also shows how Battlefield 2042 is becoming more of a live service product. For some, that change may prove bittersweet.
Battlefield 2042 releases October 22 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.