The delay of Battlefield 2042 has stirred up a much bigger conversation online than many expected. The shooter was recently delayed for less under a month, significantly shorter delay than many predicted. It's Battlefield 2042's new release date that has led to some larger conversation, however, as it now launches after Call of Duty: Vanguard. The delay has prompted thoughts from many, including one of live-streaming service Twitch's most popular streamers, Shroud.
To frame Shroud's comments, his viewers prompted him to offer his thoughts on Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty: Vanguard, regarding whether Battlefield 2042 would be in trouble releasing after Call of Duty: Vanguard. Call of Duty is, after all, the much more successful multiplayer first-person shooter franchise. Shroud, however, offered his supportive thoughts on Battlefield 2042, saying that the upcoming game has one "advantage" over Call of Duty: Vanguard.
That advantage is very simple, according to Shroud. He believes that Battlefield 2042 has better gunplay, the term shooter players use to describe the feeling of shooting a game's weapons and the overlapping experience. Shroud says the difference is "tiny" between the two games, but if he had to choose then he says Battlefield's gameplay "is better than Call of Duty's." Of course, Shroud will almost certainly be playing both games at launch, so his opinion is based on recent experiences with both franchise's games.
In one of Shroud's recent Twitch streams, he watches an overview of Battlefield 2042's recent Specialist gameplay showcases. Shroud doesn't provide much in the way of commentary, but he does show interest in Specialist Webster Mackay due to his Nimble trait that lets him move more quickly while aiming down the sights. Mackay also uses a Grappling Hook that attaches to surfaces, appealing to Shroud's fast-paced and high-movement playstyle.
While Shroud may say he prefers Battlefield's gunplay to Call of Duty's, his streaming history doesn't necessarily represent that. According to tracking websites, Shroud hasn't streamed Battlefield since 2019. He's also put more hours into Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and played both Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War more recently. When asked about Battlefield's Firestorm battle royale in 2019, Shroud said he probably wouldn't play it. Perhaps there's something special about Battlefield 2042 or perhaps he's grown bored with Call of Duty.
First-person shooters like Battlefield 2042 are Shroud's bread and butter. Shroud grew his audience and popularity as a professional Counter-Strike player, winning several tournaments between 2015 and 2017 as part of the Cloud9 team. In the years since, Shroud's played games like PUBG: Battlegrounds, Valorant, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and Escape from Tarkov.
Battlefield 2042 releases November 19 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Twitch Tracker