Battlefield 2042: Fans Claim New Release Has ‘Already Died’
It was a little over a month ago that Battlefield 2042 was released, and fans are already claiming the platform ‘has died’. Following an intense marketing campaign, Battlefield 2042 launched around the world, but almost overnight, it became regarded as a trainwreck title. Today, it is officially listed as the worst performing game in the franchise, and one of the lowest-rated videogames in history.
But has Battlefield 2042 already died?
Let’s Look At The Numbers
Mere days after the launch of Battlefield 2042, the near-modern FPS epic was marked as one of the worst-reviewed games in the history of Steam. Within a single week, more than 30,000 reviews were posted on the PC marketplace platform, with less than a third offering any ‘positive’ feedback. According to statistics, Battlefield 2042 rapidly became one of the top ten worst-rated games in the history of the platform.
According to Metacritic, Battlefield 2042 is the lowest-rated title in franchise history, which stretches back some twenty years. Before 2042 was released, that title was held by Battlefield: Hardline, a cops-n-robbers style title that dropped in 2014 to an understandably confused audience. Even now, Battlefield 2042 boasts a Metacritic score of just 68%, with an aggregated user score of 2.2 – a remarkably low count for the once-loved franchise.
And now, in the space of the last week, vast swathes of the Battlefield player base have been migrating back to older titles. It’s an understandable fact, as they’re still desperate to enjoy that large-scale, exhilarating combat action that the franchise offers. However, in the last few days, this migration has been so impactful that Battlefield V (2018) now has more active players than Battlefield 2042 (2021).
Finally, there are the streaming numbers. If we examine the figures, there is less than one-tenth of the viewer count from November still watching Battlefield 2042 streams in December. Unfortunately, most of the highest-paid streamers that were playing Battlefield 2042 have now moved on.
Is Battlefield 2042 Dead?
It’s a fair question, as it definitely seems to be an already decaying platform. While the ‘pro players’ tried to hold firm, they’re already dropping off in favour of other platforms and experiences. Bizarrely, Battlefield 2042 devs EA DICE released an update on the roadmap, showing that the ‘first season’ of content won’t be dropping until March of 2022. That’s a considerably long time, especially when you examine the existing platform and realise that it’s… Well, completely empty.
Ultimately, while Battlefield 2042 isn’t an inherently bad game, it has suffered immeasurably at the hands of the general audience. It absolutely was not what players were expecting, and it offers too vanilla and too watered down an experience for die-hard Battlefield fans. There might be enjoyable combat, the ability to revisit old maps, and the rather ingenious Portal modes, but at the end of the day, Battlefield 2042 seems to be dying a rapid death.
If you’re eager to get stuck in and enjoy a true Battlefield experience, your best option is to revert to Battlefield V. Once again, this title is on the up, and there are several good reasons fuelling the fire behind it. Firstly, there’s an in-depth and immersive campaign, a battle royale mode, and a multiplayer that is equal parts exciting, destructive, and historically accurate.
It’s a sad fact, but Battlefield 2042 might be unable to recover. It has already lost out to the likes of Halo, with the Halo Championship Series, and COD Vanguard, boasting the Call of Duty League. There may be nothing else that can save the future of this once highly anticipated game.
