Many fans are enjoying DICE's latest effort in the military-sim shooter franchise, but it's no secret that the game has had a tough launch. Even in comparison to Battlefield 5, it's been a rough few months for Battlefield 2042 and the game's reception. The latest Battlefield game has been struggling with player retention, even as bugs and glitches are patched out, since missing features and minimal content have all contributed to a disappointing entry for many hardcore Battlefield fan. Even EA itself has lamented the game's performance at launch, and DICE is reportedly weighing a potential free-to-play transition to help salvage the troublesome Battlefield entry.
Plenty of popular games launch as free-to-play multiplayer titles, but rarely do AAA game releases transition to a free-to-lay model and succeed. Obviously the biggest example of that is something like Fortnite, which transitioned from a base-building survival game into the massively popular battle royale it's known as today. That's not to say that any game is incapable of doing so, including Battlefield 2042, but it's a steep mountain to climb for any game with a bad reputation at launch. Given the delay of the first season of content for Battlefield 2042, as well as the numerous updates for features and bug fixes, free-to-play may be a long journey for this Battlefield entry.
Battlefield 2042's Months-Long Struggle Since Launch
While the leadup to Battlefield 2042's release garnered a lot of hype, the end product ended up crumbling under its own ambition. 128 player matches, dynamic weather events, in tandem with massive scale and map-altering events, Battlefield 2042 was poised to be a progressive return of the franchise after infamously struggling with Battlefield 5. However, technical issues and performance problems, paired with missing and otherwise incomplete features, marred the full release of Battlefield 2042; problems that were highlighted in the game's beta build had still not been solved. Since then, updates have been slow and minimal, much to fans' disappointment.
Additionally, DICE announced that the first season of content for Battlefield 2042 would have to be pushed back in favor of fixing the game's existing issues. Battlefield 2042's first season already didn't have a proper start date for the game's first season, but datamined information indicated that seasonal content would start in March. Now, Season One has been pushed to this summer in order to simultaneously improve Battlefield 2042's base gameplay experience, while "finalizing the development for our seasonal content" as well. It's clear DICE is listening to player feedback and making updates as necessary, which is great, but iterative updates can only go so far.
Battlefield 2042: A Free-To-Play Transition Brings Its Own Problems
Battlefield 2042 making a transition into free-to-play could theoretically make sense, given the long-term timeline of updates and content coming to the game, but that leaves DICE in a tenuous scenario. Unlike games such as Fortnite or For Honor, making Battlefield 2042 a free-to-play game is a much bigger gamble considering the legacy of the Battlefield franchise. Past entries have been full-priced games with significant (and premium, paid DLC) content released over the game's lifespan, regardless of how much content came at launch. Battlefield 2042 was planned to receive the same treatment, but going free-to-play might make sense for that method.
However, that's not the end-all, be-all for solving Battlefield 2042's problems among the franchise's player base. As exemplified by the highly controversial datamined skin for the specialist Boris, depicting them as Santa Claus, Battlefield is not a series that lends itself to extensive cosmetic customization the same way a game like Fortnite would. Beyond whether or not fans would even want a greater level of customization between specialists in Battlefield 2042, extensive free content updates in free-to-play games are often bolstered by cosmetic microtransactions. Battlefield 2042 would need expansive and varied cosmetics to afford going free-to-play regardless.
The Santa Claus skin is an extreme case, but it is indicative of the range of cosmetic appeal and variation that Battlefield 2042 is capable of. Skins that are too unrealistic, especially for a franchise like Battlefield that's prided itself on achieving military simulation, is only going to detract from players' experience. The problem with that is balancing military simulation with enticing cosmetics has often led to a lot of drab and similar-looking cosmetics that aren't enticing enough for players to buy. Call of Duty: Vanguard dealt with a similar issue when the WW2 shooter added a Levi Ackerman skin for an Attack On Titan crossover, citing the cosmetic bundle's absurdity.
Of course, this is without even touching on the existing issues that already plague Battlefield 2042, and how much these problems have already delayed the rollout of Season One content. There's the technical issues with missing features and bugs/glitches, as well as foundational long-term issues like the specialist system eliminating any form of team play through designated classes, something Battlefield has always been known for. A free-to-play model could potentially allow DICE to iterate and improve on these systems to better refine Battlefield 2042's design, but the logistics and execution of that design decision could make or break the game for fans.
What EA and DICE decide to do with the future of Battlefield 2042 will be interesting to see play out. Battlefield 5 had similar missteps at launch, but didn't receive nearly the same largely negative reception compared to Battlefield 2042's launch. Even stalwart fans of Battlefield 5 wanted continued developer support after DICE announced the game's lifecycle was coming to an end. Battlefield 2042 has its own subset of hardcore fans as well, but it's clear some big changes need to happen in order for the game to succeed post-launch.
Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
