Through Battlefield 2042's continued struggles, DICE's fight to retain players is taking many forms, from simple bugfixes to major rebalancing and changes. The latest change takes the form of re-adding a removed game mode, as well as bringing a fan-made mode into the featured rotation.
Battlefield 2042, despite initial positive critical reception, received major backlash from fans on release for not including important features from previous entries and making gameplay changes generally agreed to be for the worse. The game has been updated frequently since its release, but many players are choosing to return to earlier, more stable entries in the Battlefield series.
The Rush game mode, an iconic part of the Battlefield franchise since its introduction in Bad Company, was removed from Battlefield 2042 last week as it only exists in 2042 as a limited-time mode. Fans generally seem unsure about why the mode was limited-time, but fortunately they did not have to wait long as only a week later Rush's return was officially announced. While there is no official comment on why it has returned so fast, the backlash from removing it could be a contributing factor.
Alongside Rush, the Conquest of Ages and RUN. STOP. KILL. REPEAT game modes will be added to the rotation. RUN. STOP. KILL. REPEAT is an especially interesting case, as the game mode was created by fans of the popular show Squid Game to bring the "Red Light Green Light" game into Battlefield 2042. Copyright issues are doubtful since the games in the show are all essentially classic children's games anyway, but placing fan-made modes into the official playlists could be a step in the right direction for DICE, as it shows a commitment to community projects and a connection to fans.
The good news may be undercut, however, by a severe lack of community interest. With Battlefield 2042 suffering from so many technical issues even cheatmakers have stopped supporting it and large swathes of the community are leaving to go back to earlier entries like Battlefield V. DICE has a serious project on its hands for player retention.
Given the difficulties Battlefield 2042 is having retaining players, large reworks are in order and DICE seems committed to at least trying to improve the game. However, at this point the game's reputation is heavily damaged by its rushed launch and ongoing issues. Hopefully a few more months of updates can make it worthwhile.
Battlefield 2042 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.