Battlefield 2042 has become one of the most anticipated releases of 2021. The shooter has advertised itself as massively multiplayer, with certain match types featuring as many as 128 players. But one area where Battlefield 2042 is apparently going to disappoint its fans is in the competitive/esports space. EA DICE has confirmed that Battlefield 2042 will not feature any ranked modes when the game launches, though it's open to player feedback on the matter.
The topic was brought up by Ripple Effect Studios Senior Design Director Justin Wiebe during an interview on Battlefield Nation. Ripple Effect Studios being the former DICE LA studio that's moving in a different direction following the release of Battlefield 2042. Wiebe says explicitly that Battlefield 2042's developers have "no plan to have any kind of ranked or esport mode at launch." As such, Battlefield 2042 players should keep in perspective what the game will offer at launch and going forward.
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To be clear, while there's ambiguity in Wiebe's statement regarding what EA DICE's plans are for the future, there's no insinuation that Battlefield 2042 will add ranked mode options in the future. All Wiebe commits to is that the development team will be listening for, saying "we'd like to hear about it" if the community wants more. Depending on that, Weibe adds that "we'll kind of see what happens after that." Suffice to say, EA DICE will need to be persuaded before it adds any sort of competitive functionality to Battlefield 2042.
While the news that Battlefield 2042 won't support ranked or esports functionality at launch may be disappointing, it's also not surprising. Ranked matchmaking, ladders, and esports features aren't something the Battlefield franchise has ever supported. Its priority has always been 'epic'-scale combat scenarios with dozens of players, which is a valued offering on its own. Still, in an era where almost every major multiplayer FPS on the market caters to a degree toward competitive action, the decision for Battlefield 2042 will seem lacking to many.
News of EA DICE's decision also comes in a moment of growing discourse within the online gaming community. There's a push for transparency when it comes to matchmaking and ranked structuring helps provide that, to a degree. The push comes as questions regarding manipulative matchmaking arise, matchmaking that encourages certain behavior including microtransaction purchases rather than fair matchmaking practices.
Battlefield 2042 might be a lost cause when it comes to adding ranked multiplayer functionality. Adding those kinds of systems post-launch without planning for it would be a substantial effort. If fans make their voices heard, however, perhaps ranked could be in Battlefield's future further down the line.
Battlefield 2042 releases October 22 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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Source: Battlefield Nation
