EA Digital Illusions CE, better known to most gamers as DICE, has announced that support for persistent servers will be coming to its online shooter Battlefield 2042 in a new update. The addition of persistent servers is the latest attempt to address the many issues players have had with the game’s servers since its release, such as the rampant XP farming in Battlefield 2042 that was the target of earlier updates.

Launched in November of 2021 for PC as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Battlefield 2042 is the latest entry in the long-running team-based multiplayer shooter franchise that began with the release of Battlefield 1942 in 2002. Featuring large-scale battles on huge maps with dozens or more players and a wide variety of vehicles for gamers to control, the Battlefield franchise has maintained a distinct identity in the subsequent years that has helped it stand out among other military-themed shooters like Call of Duty. Though praised for the innovations it brought to the online shooter genre, recent releases in the series have been criticized by many fans for their uneven quality level compared to earlier entries in the franchise.

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In a news post published on the Battlefield 2042 homepage, DICE announced that support for persistent servers would be coming to the game with the upcoming #2.2 Game Update. The addition of persistent servers will allow a server to remain visible in the server browser even when empty, making it easier for community members to quickly start a game without requiring the server owner to sign in and activate the server. The multiplayer shooter has been faced with low player counts ever since the game’s launch, dropping so dramatically at one point that a single player became the host for Battlefield 2042's South African region, so DICE likely hopes that adding persistent servers will draw some players back to the game.

Battlefield 2042 server controls featuring persistent server support

Although Battlefield 2042 was widely praised for its impressive graphics when it launched in 2021, post-launch complaints about bugs affecting everything from the game’s servers to the way the vehicles handled quickly overshadowed the shooter's glossy visuals. Many long time Battlefield fans had been wary of the game even before its release, displeased at the news that EA would be padding out empty Battlefield 2042 servers with bots. Even as fixes and new features have been added to the game post-launch, Battlefield 2042 has struggled at times to draw in new players and retain existing ones.

The addition of persistent servers should be welcome news for online communities still enjoying the intense military action in Battlefield 2042, making it easier to quickly hop into a match with friends whenever the desire strikes. Though this new feature may not solve all of Battlefield 2042’s issues, it serves as a signal that EA is still working to make the game one that lives up to the series’ legendary legacy.

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

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Source: EA