It's been a very rocky road for Battlefield 2042 following its launch last November. Although fans were excited for the experience thanks in large part to pre-launch trailers, the end product has seemingly had no shortage of problems and issues. While these range in severity from bugs and glitches, fans have expressed displeasure over some core features as well such as the expansive maps, a lack of Battlefield "legacy" features like a scoreboard and VOIP, as well as specialists.
Although DICE has released a number of updates, things have gotten uncomfortably silent as the holiday break kicked in, leaving fans to wonder when and if the game was going to be saved. As the weeks went on, fans seemingly jumped ship as evidenced by the rising player numbers of older Battlefield games which quickly overtook 2042 which still hasn't recovered. While it may have taken a while, DICE is finally ready to talk about the game's future, giving players a glimpse into its plans with a first roadmap.
Ahead of EA's financial call with investors, DICE published its first roadmap for Battlefield 2042. Reconfirming the studio's commitment to improve the game as well as its community communication, DICE revealed that the highly requested Scoreboard, voice communication, and a more informative player profile are coming as soon as possible. The post also highlights other improvements including an updated ping system, a continued expansion of Portal, and further gunplay enhancements.
The post also went on to talk about the arrival of Season 1, which also seemingly confirmed an unfortunate delay as it is now targeting an early Summer release. Through the following 12 months, DICE plans to deliver four total seasons, four new specialists, as well as new locations and content. As both an apology and thank you to Battlefield 2042 Gold and Ultimate Edition players, an exclusive Steadfast Legendary Bundle is being prepared with the next update containing a new Specialist skin for Mackay, two weapon skins, and the Iron Chariot vehicle skin, along with a melee weapon and player card and background.
While the news should be a welcomed one for players, it's unknown if this will be enough, especially with the disappointing confirmation of a delay to Season 1. It's clear that DICE is committed to turning the game around, though it's unknown how much time Electronic Arts may be willing to give. It's already been reported that EA is very disappointed with Battlefield 2042 and rumors seem to indicate the publisher may be looking for ways to salvage it, even potentially turning it into a free to play title. Whether or not that happens is anyone's guess at this point.
Battlefield 2042 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: DICE