It is no secret that Battlefield 2042 struggled when it launched in November 2021, but the game is in a much better state now with lots more content than it had at launch after five in-game seasons. A turning point for the military shooter was when it debuted on Game Pass in November 2022.
Senior producer Ryan McArthur told GamesRadar, “I’m a big believer in programs like Game Pass, and for us it was a huge moment–something we marked on the calendar.”
McArthur said the team wanted to get Battlefield 2042 in shape for the Game Pass launch because the team knew the game would see a major influx of players.
“One thing we talked about internally quite a lot was that if there was a moment in time where we were going to open this game up to a whole bunch of new players then it needs to be good. It needs to be the game that we wanted it to be when we launched it, and that really galvanized the team as we charged towards that date,” McArthur said.
The player base for Battlefield 2042 has expanded with each new season, McArthur said, and the team making the game got amped up as well. “It really helped get their creative juices going,” he said.
“I think that’s why every season has been better than the last. Look at not just the core work, but the weapons that we made, the fact that we reworked every single map that we shipped in this game at launch (with the last one coming out at the end of Season 5) – that’s something we’ve never done before,” McArthur said. “While it was hard, it was also really fun for us. When I look back on my career, it’s probably the journey that I’m most proud of.”
McArthur went on to say that DICE relishes the opportunity to try to make Battlefield 2042 everything it can be before the next Battlefield game comes out.
“People trip and make mistakes,” McArthur said. “I think it’s good for us to get a chance to come back and do what we think we can do best. It’s been fun to see players jump back in and give us another chance, and for them to say, ‘Yeah, you guys are getting where you’re supposed to be.'”
Battlefield 2042’s Season 6 is in the works now and on top for release later this year. After that, multiple EA studios around the world are working on a “reimagination” of the Battlefield series.
Despite its struggles, Battlefield 2042 was the No. 5 best-selling game of 2021 in the US. Plans were in place to bring the Battlefield series to mobile, but EA abruptly canceled Battlefield Mobile and shuttered its developer.
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