Battlefield 2042 is currently going through a very tumultuous period. Not only are Battlefield fans frustrated with the game's design and technical issues, but changes are being made to XP progression in the Portal mode in response to feedback. There are going to be growing pains, as a result, and the first casualty is Battlefield's recently-released Zombie Survival Mode. Ripple Effect Studios confirmed that Zombie Survival has been disabled in Battlefield 2042's Portal, replaced with Gun Game.

The issue with Zombie Survival unfortunately has to do with XP and the changes made just prior to Zombie Survival's release. Battlefield 2042 players were using Zombie Survival to quickly earn XP, using an exploit where zombies were unable to reach them. Given that the exploit had to do with the design of the mode, necessary changes couldn't be made quickly enough to justify keeping Zombie Survival up. As such, it made more sense to take it down and replace it.

RELATED: EA is Reportedly 'Very Disappointed' in Battlefield 2042, Considering Some Sort of Free to Play Option

Ripple Effect's senior design director Justin Wiebe confirmed the mode's removal, promising that in doing so it had helped the development team's approach to future Portal mode releases. Wiebe explains that as a result of Zombie Survival, the team tightened its review process in order to ensure that similar events don't happen again. Wiebe also acknowledged that the Zombie Survival mode needed additional time in the "workshop" and that it wasn't fully cooked and ready for release even without the XP issue.

That said, Wiebe does say that Ripple Effect is hoping to bring back a more polished Zombie Survival game mode in the future. The priority, for the time being, is figuring out how to bring Zombie Survival's XP progression back in line with non-Portal modes. Later, the team can revisit the gameplay and improve the experience to be even better than before. Wiebe admits that the team wanting a "fun zombie mode" overwrote its judgment on whether the mode was ready for release.

There did seem to be a solid following of Battlefield 2042 players who were enjoying Zombie Survival before its removal. However, the positive reception was significantly hurt by the number of accounts farming XP. Bringing back the zombie mode is very likely to be positively received down the line.

For the time being, players will be able to play Gun Game in Battlefield 2042's Portal instead of Zombie Survival. Gun Game has previously been available in Portal as Gun Master of Ages, customized by JackFrags. Gun Game has weapons changing over time, escalating in power with kills. While it's not a new mode, it should keep Battlefield 2042 fans busy until the next Portal mode is ready to go.

Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Explaining the Battlefield 2042 Toy Story Memes