Highlights

  • The next Battlefield game should launch with a wider range of content to avoid the same problems as 2042.
  • Smaller maps are key to complementing the large scale warfare of Battlefield games, as seen in Redacted.
  • Lessons from successful past maps like Operation Metro and Locker must be applied to the next Battlefield project.

It seems that the focus of DICE is starting to shift to the next installment of the Battlefield franchise, with the studio recently announcing that the latest in-game season of Battlefield 2042 will be the title's last. It only seems right that this next project for the IP should feature a thematic shift away from 2042, but the 2020 release did teach DICE a lot of important lessons that should carry over to what is next for the franchise.

It is paramount that the launch of the next Battlefield is not as problematic as 2042's release, and this can mainly be avoided by the next game launching with a wider range of content. 2042 waited until its post-launch seasons to introduce a lot of content that repaired the game's reputation, and players should not have to wait for this kind of post-launch support for the next Battlefield game. Arguably, the most successful post-launch content for Battlefield 2042 was its smaller maps, and a future installment should have a good mix of scale in its maps from the get-go.

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Battlefield's Gameplay Shines When Complimented by Smaller Maps

One of the largest problems that Battlefield 2042 faced during its early post-launch state was the lack of variety in its core maps; Battlefield 2042's seven original maps were all quite large experiences. While Battlefield's gameplay is usually synonymous with large-scale warfare, the IP has historically offered more intimate maps to offer some contrast to this, and it took Battlefield 2042 a while to deliver on this franchise staple.

Season 6 of Battlefield 2042, which launched in October 2023, saw the introduction of the Redacted map, which took place in a top-secret testing facility in the Scottish Hebrides. Largely composed of tight corners and narrow corridors, and not featuring any vehicles, Redacted quickly became the go-to map for some of the most chaotic gameplay in Battlefield 2042. DICE stated the map was inspired by similar locations in past Battlefield games.

Specifically, DICE named Operation Metro and Operation Locker as blueprints for Redacted, maps that came from Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 respectively. Metro and Locker were themselves considered as some of the best maps in what were massively successful entries to the franchise, and it is clear that the next Battlefield project needs to learn from this feedback pattern.

Redacted's Late Introduction to Battlefield 2042 Was Too Little, Too Late

Fans had to wait just under two years for Battlefield 2042 to add Redacted and offer a smaller-scale experience, and this is a mistake that the next Battlefield game cannot afford to repeat. The player counts of Battlefield 2042 famously faced huge drops just months after the game launched, and it can be assumed that this would have been partially avoided if the game featured a wider range of gameplay experiences upon release.

While the traditional large-scale maps of Battlefield will always have a place in the franchise's identity, it is clear that the additional presence of smaller maps to compliment them is a tried and tested point of success for the IP. As the next Battlefield release creeps up on the horizon, it seems paramount to include smaller maps as standard as opposed to waiting deep into the game's life cycle.