Battlefield 2042has had a rough go about it since it launched late last year. The game was widely criticized for its technical problems and changes to the establishedBattlefieldformula that didn’t sit right with dedicated fans.Battlefield 2042is still in a troubled state months after launch, and it appears to be bleeding through its player base as a result.
Battlefield 2042sales were strong at first, but it seems bad reviews and word of mouth has kept the game from reaching the same heights as other titles in the series. And many of those that purchasedBattlefield 2042no longer seem to be playing the game, as evidenced by its predecessorBattlefield 5overtaking it on Steam and the fact that it is no longer even in the top 50 most-played Xbox games.
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Microsoft keeps a running list of the most-played Xbox games, showing fans the top 50 most popular online titles at any given time. Right now the top five games areHalo Infinite,Apex Legends,Grand Theft Auto 5,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, andFortnite, with the number 50 slot going toCall of Duty: Black Ops 3, a game that’s several years old at this point.Battlefield 2042, despite having just released last November, is nowhere to be found.
This is obviously not a good sign forBattlefield 2042, as it seems that there aren’t all that many Xbox gamers playing the game. And it’s already been demonstrated thatBattlefield 2042has a dwindling playerbase on Steam as well. Considering this, it’s no surprise that some insiders believe thatBattlefield 2042could go free-to-playas part of EA’s attempt to save the game.
However, even ifBattlefield 2042goes free-to-play as rumored, its fundamental problems will still be there. Besides the technical problems, fans have complained aboutBattlefield 2042’s playable Specialist characters, accusing them of having a negative impact on the tone of the game. It’s clear that fixingBattlefield 2042will take some sweeping changes, and so one may wonder if it would make more sense for EA to cut its losses at this point and take another crack at the franchise down the line.
Rumors have it that thenextBattlefieldgame will be a hero-shooterof some kind, but that seems like it will only upset the fans even more. Whatever EA does withBattlefieldnext, it’s clear thatBattlefield 2042isn’t representative of what fans want from the franchise.
Battlefield 2042is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
