Battlefield 2042 has had a rough go about it since it launched late last year. The game was widely criticized for its technical problems and changes to the established Battlefield formula that didn't sit right with dedicated fans. Battlefield 2042 is still in a troubled state months after launch, and it appears to be bleeding through its player base as a result.
Battlefield 2042 sales were strong at first, but it seems bad reviews and word of mouth has kept the game from reaching the same heights as other titles in the series. And many of those that purchased Battlefield 2042 no longer seem to be playing the game, as evidenced by its predecessor Battlefield 5 overtaking it on Steam and the fact that it is no longer even in the top 50 most-played Xbox games.
Microsoft keeps a running list of the most-played Xbox games, showing fans the top 50 most popular online titles at any given time. Right now the top five games are Halo Infinite, Apex Legends, Grand Theft Auto 5, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Fortnite, with the number 50 slot going to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, a game that's several years old at this point. Battlefield 2042, despite having just released last November, is nowhere to be found.
This is obviously not a good sign for Battlefield 2042, as it seems that there aren't all that many Xbox gamers playing the game. And it's already been demonstrated that Battlefield 2042 has a dwindling playerbase on Steam as well. Considering this, it's no surprise that some insiders believe that Battlefield 2042 could go free-to-play as part of EA's attempt to save the game.
However, even if Battlefield 2042 goes free-to-play as rumored, its fundamental problems will still be there. Besides the technical problems, fans have complained about Battlefield 2042's playable Specialist characters, accusing them of having a negative impact on the tone of the game. It's clear that fixing Battlefield 2042 will take some sweeping changes, and so one may wonder if it would make more sense for EA to cut its losses at this point and take another crack at the franchise down the line.
Rumors have it that the next Battlefield game will be a hero-shooter of some kind, but that seems like it will only upset the fans even more. Whatever EA does with Battlefield next, it's clear that Battlefield 2042 isn't representative of what fans want from the franchise.
Battlefield 2042 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Xbox