“Demand is high right now” aren’t the words I expected to see for Battlefield 2042 in 2023, but they’re precisely what I saw this morning from the official Battlefield Comms account addressing ongoing server issues. Despite the free weekend now over, Battlefield 2042 has retained a staggering 100K users daily (on Steam and not even counting other platforms), making this the game’s best week ever. And though we are still being left in the dark about the game’s future, we feel now, more than ever, it would be the perfect time for the studio to reevaluate its content approach, allowing the next Battlefield game to a little brew longer. 

We're aware that some of you are currently unable to log into #Battlefield2042 due to Server Capacity messages.

Demand is high right now, and we're working to improve this as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/0b3fAnkdXI

— Battlefield Comms (@BattlefieldComm) October 18, 2023

DICE has struggled to maintain players for Battlefield 2042 for nearly two years, mostly due to Its disastrous launch, which was met with a harsh review from us. It was a cut that slashed deep into the community, as it wasn’t quite the love letter that DICE made it out to be. Despite all their strenuous efforts and improvements made from all the past seasons, including map revamps, new squad features, and a more traditional class system, DICE could never seem to win back some of the fanbase, as 2042 was forever stuck to being viewed as the franchise’s biggest disappointment.

It disappointed me, though I (and a few) stuck with it throughout the years. Maybe it was because I was too big of a Battlefield fan and just wanted to play something new from DICE, knowing full well of the issues plaguing the game and everything it lacked that made Battlefield be Battlefield.

But the promise of it improving and the studio wanting to win fans back had me curious, as the studio’s past launches also shared a similar story. Ship now, fix later, a headline I used even in my review. Mind you, it’s not the kind of approach anyone should take, but if DICE was serious about fixing their game, it meant that it’d be an approach that I would have to follow carefully. 

And I did, plunging into BF2042 with every season drop to see what DICE was doing to address past issues while designing new content around those learnings. It was a slow and long journey, one I’ll admit almost lost me parts way through, but within the last few seasons, Battlefield 2042 was beginning to feel like a game that had been molded into something worth revisiting.  

I won’t say that Battlefield 2042 is now the Battlefield game we’d all come to expect at launch, but I will say that if this were the game that was released two years back, it would be a vision that even I could possibly get behind.

That, in part, is due to several legacy features being added back, with the most prominent being a variation of the class system. It is a system that feels more in line with the classic Battlefield experience, fitting players into roles rather than around the odd hero system they had. The map overhauls have also drastically changed how players play, with newer maps focusing on addressing criticism such as lack of coverage, too large of open spaces, and such. 

It’s a very different game than what many remember at launch, though at the same time, I will say that it still feels like BF2042. Meaning that it’s not the trailblazer of a change, to the point where you can say, wow, this is what I remember Battlefield, as there are still core mechanics that likely will never change. Glaring issues (not all) have been resolved, but for the most part, DICE has done a decent job of listening to the community and giving them more of what they want as opposed to what the studio thinks players want.

Will we see Season 7? We’re left in the dark there, as DICE (nor EA) has yet to say anything. But given the recent resurgence, it would be foolish for the studio to throw away all that goodwill and momentum by finishing on Season 6. Why not announce a new season? One surefire way to retain players is to announce fan-fave maps such as Operation Metro and Operation Locker. Not only does this save DICE from copious amounts of dev time planning, testing, and designing a new map from scratch, but you’ll be giving fans something they want…it’s a win-win, right?

What we don’t want to see is something the studio has done before, and that’s dropping a game when they’ve finally turned things around. We’ve seen this happen in Star Wars Battlefront 2 and, to a lesser extent, Battlefield V. Not only will that infuriate players, but it also sends the wrong signal to the fanbase that it doesn’t matter if they play and support the game, EA (and by extension, DICE) will drop it anyway.

What do we want to see? More content. It doesn’t have to be big ones. Perhaps a remade map or two? More weapons? A better cadence of new content so we’re not left waiting long periods without anything new to fiddle with. Based on DICE’s data, it’s pretty evident that the player base wants more close-quarter combat rather than vehicular warfare (and I don’t blame them).

When it comes to new maps, we need more than one new level, and if not, we need a specific playlist that gives us other unique variations of maps. They can cut old maps down and fluff them up, which, I gather, is easier to do than designing one from the ground up. Maybe give us a CQC playlist with old maps, redesigned interiors, moving buildings together, and whatnot? Either way, DICE should see this resurgence of players as a sign, one they shouldn’t let go of. 

I know some would rather have seen the studio drop BF2042 altogether, but where’s the learning in that? The improvements we’ve seen to that game thus far have been primarily centered around what players want. I know it’s not all of it, but this is an excellent step in the studio’s direction. Listening to feedback and finding out how to deliver on it. Battlefield 2042 has an interesting opportunity here, and how DICE takes that, well, they can move on, or they can continue building upon what I consider a good foundation for the next game. I’m not referring to Battlefield 2042 but to them sticking it out and listening to the community on how they can improve. It’s experience that should hopefully shape the future of Battlefield for the better. 

Will we see more support come BF2042’s way, especially given the recent surge of new players? Let’s hope so. Not just for the player’s sake but also for DICE and EA, as I don’t think the player base has a lot of trust and patience left when it comes to the franchise, and given we have a new one on the way, EA will want to remedy that as best as it can.