Battlefield 2042 was written off, but it brings hope for a better future, according to Joakim Bodin, a former senior engineer at DICE, who knows the Battlefield series inside out.
Battlefield 2042 initially faced many problems, and - although some of them were solved over time - some wrong decisions could not be undone. A former EA DICE engineer decided to analyze what went wrong in the development of the game, and what impact this has on the future of the brand.
Joakim Bodin, a former software engineer at DICE (and - for the past year - an employee of Epic Games), shared his thoughts. He used Twitter.
"Battlefield 2042 underwent many changes and improvements, which the imposed release date did not foresee - the game was supposed to hit the market without delays. Therefore, BF2024 didn't have much chance of being a great game at the time of its release," Joakim says.
There is no denying that the release of Battlefield 2042 turned out to be a flop - the game was criticized for bugs, lack of basic elements (e.g. server browser, scoreboard) or replacement of character classes with individualized specialists.
Over time the developers improved the game's deplorable condition, but some changes could not be undone - such as the aforementioned specialists, who are still in the game, but now under the guise of classes. At the time of its debut, the game received very low ratings (especially among gamers). Currently, the average rating on Metacritic for the PC version (the highest rated) is 68/100.
Joakim Bodin, as a senior engineer, had a lot to say in the development of Battlefield 2042. Admittedly, the final say belonged to the company's management, but nevertheless he managed to add elements to the game that, used well, could serve future games in the series.
"I'm proud to say that I strongly pushed for the game to have a crossplay feature, cross-platform account progression and (most importantly) microtransactions. These elements will serve future titles well," Joakim explains.
Joakim's statement harmonizes with the words of Andrew Wilson (CEO of EA) from two weeks ago, who revealed that the latest Battlefield will be the platform driving live services for decades to come.
Apparently, the new stewards of the franchise, headed by Vince Zampella, former CEO of Respawn Entertainment, are determined to move in this direction (hopefully it's the right one).
Finally, it is worth looking at Joakim Bodin.
Battlefield 2042 debuted on November 19, 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series S/X. More information can be found in our games encyclopedia.
0

Author: Jakub Tarchala
He started by producing content on YouTube in 2020, but eventually found out writing was his real jam. He set up a modest blog where he published video game reviews, and two years later combined his work with his hobby and started writing for Gamepressure. He loves Terry Pratchett's offbeat sense of humor and the philosophical mysteries of the universe embedded in Stanislaw Lem's novels. He enjoys watching comedies and horror movies. He has a profound affection for the Stalker universe (electronic, written, and pasted). In his spare time he plays guitar and collects Marvel cards.