The troubled launch of Battlefield 2042 continues, as DICE has now pushed back the release of an update scheduled for later this month. A hotfix been released today, but Update 3.3 was expected in February and to bring a revised scoreboard in response to player feedback, but it’s been delayed.
Our next Update after todays Hotfix will now roll out in early March. This is a change from our last messaging to you all on it’s intended release.
The extra time will help to ensure we improve the quality of our Updates, and include additional changes.https://t.co/WoeHvOludK
— Battlefield Direct Communication (@BattlefieldComm) February 3, 2022
Delaying a feature such as this is just the latest bit of bad news for EA, DICE and the series’ fans. The game launched in November 2021 to mediocre reviews and it was immediately clear that DICE needed to spend some time fixing the existing issues and adapting to the common demands of modern gamers. To that end, they put a priority on implementing things like cross-platform VoIP, so that teammates could communicate outside of system-level party chat, as well as a scoreboard so that you can see your relative performance in game.
DICE’s entire roadmap has seemingly been shunted back, with Season One of a year-long content plan postponed to summer 2022. DICE will instead be focussing on implementing these core features and fixing up their game.
EA have stated confidence in DICE to turn Battlefield 2042’s fortunes around. In their most recent quarterly financials, EA declined to state how many copies of Battlefield 2042 had sold, but did note that the game had underperformed, leading to the company adjusting forecasts downward by $100 million. The game has continued to bleed players since launch, Steam player counts showing that both Battlefield V and Battlefield 1 have higher weekly peaks compared to the new title, and there’s been plenty of player dissatisfaction shared online.
When asked about the game’s future, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said, “As much as I hate to admit it, DICE’s the studio that has been able to do this a number of times now and really go back and rebuild at the core and reengage the community, as long as we do that in conjunction with a committee. That’s what that studio was so great at doing.”
Getting the game to bounce back will certainly make things easier for EA in future, with Respawn’s Vince Zampella now the head of Battlefield and aims to break the franchise out in multiple new directions.
Further reading: Battlefield 2042 guide – 10 tips to get you started
Battlefield 2042 is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game touts 128-player battles on the more powerful systems, with PS4 and Xbox One limited to the series’ long-standing 64-player limit. That’s in addition to the new Hazard Zone mode that blends together a variety of inspirations for a new squad-based experience, and Battlefield Portal, which revives classic maps and gameplay from past games.
In our Battlefield 2042 review we scored it a fair 6 out of 10, knocking points off for clunky design features, yet praising parts of the core tactical gameplay and the genius Battlefield Portal:
“There’s a good game to be found within the Battlefield 2042 and fun to be had as the spectacle of Battlefield’s signature gameplay is taken to new, more expansive heights, but it’s marred by a handful of unsuccessful gameplay design changes, hurriedly implemented features and bugs at launch.”