After Battlefield 2042 went downhill for a long time, Season 1 is able to bring back players for the first time. An upward trend can also be seen in the reviews.
From 100,000 players at release to an average of 2,000 steadfast Specialists still fighting on the battlefields a few months after release: Battlefield 2042, which was designed as a service game, went downhill in a way that neither the publisher nor the players had hoped for.
After the release of the first content update, however, the mood and situation seem to have improved for the first time. A closer look at player numbers and Steam reviews shows this. We have already covered how the new content of Season 1 plays for you in a previous (article)!
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Battlefield overtakes Halo Infinite
It”s not a milestone, but it may be a glimmer of hope: the first major content update is apparently bringing players back, and briefly multiplied the numbers of concurrently active Specialists on Steam after its release. As Tom Henderson noted on Twitter, this means Battlefield can currently even pass Halo: Infinite”s Free2Play multiplayer:
Battlefield 2042 has managed to retain a pretty decent player base since Season 1 launched and now has 3x the players on Steam than Halo Infinite MP which is free-to-play. pic.twitter.com/YjjiB3XKWo
– Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) July 5, 2022
However, a closer look reveals that this high will not necessarily last. The release of Season 1 started with 15,000 players active at the same time, some of whom have now probably left again. So the player curve is already leaning downwards again:
To keep players hooked, the game will probably need to be updated further in the near future, and preferably with new content. The latter, however, will probably have to wait until Season 2. The future of Battlefield 2042 therefore still seems uncertain. At least the developers have already delivered another update that brings some improvements:
Battlefield 2042: The most important info on Update 1.1
When will Update 1.1 be released?
Update 1.1 for Battlefield 2042is released yesterday on July 6, 2022 at 10 a.m.
How big is Update 1.1?
Update 1.1 is about 6.3 GB on the PC.
What do the patch notes reveal?
EA had already shared the patch notes for update 1.1 of Battlefield 2042. They contain dozens of improvements that should benefit the DICE shooter on numerous levels. According to the (official blog post) on the EA homepage, the most prominent new features are as follows:
- New XP events for pilot kills, defusing mines and repairs.
- Vehicle balancing changes, such as reducing the rate of fire of the MV38 Condor”s 50mm cannon.
- New balancing of the DMR to increase its effectiveness at long range.
- Battlefield Portal gets new play areas and vehicles, as well as options for modifiers and the rules editor to further encourage custom mode creation
There”s a lot more in Update 1.1 for Battlefield 2042 though. You can find all the patch notes on page 2 of this article, where you can dig through all the improvements and additions.
New content is not available with 1.1, however. In this regard, Battlefield 2042 players will probably have to wait until the next update, which is scheduled for release in August 2022. Previously, there was new content with Season 1: Zero Hour, the trailer for which you can watch as follows:
What happens after Update 1.1?
As already mentioned, the next update for Battlefield 2042 will be released in August 2022. EA has already revealed that much. What exactly is in it is currently unknown. We will of course let you know as soon as there is more information.
Despite weak player numbers, devastating feedback from fans and other problems plaguing Battlefield 2042, EA has not yet given up on the multiplayer shooter. For example, the publisher denied the claims of various insiders that support was only being kept alive in a makeshift fashion.
In fact, DICE has appointed the new head of Battlefield Studios Rebecka Coutaz to 2042, who definitely does not want the game to die. This puts other projects, such as Mirror”s Edge, on the back burner so the team can fully focus on Battlefield 2042.
~ (Click here to see All Patch Notes for Update 1.1)
The mood is becoming more positive
Not only the player numbers, but also the mood in the community seems to be slowly improving. The new contents of Season 1 were basically positively received in social networks and the wind could also be changing on Steam. Since the launch, the reviews have been mostly negative (28 percent positive), but the ratings of the last 30 days are now balanced (42 percent positive).
The basic tenor of the positive reviews, however, remains mostly divided. The new content is good and the game has improved overall, but more is needed. Season 1 is perceived as a step in the right direction, but Battlefield still has a long way to go.
Whether the developers will be able to bring back a large part of the disappointed players in the end remains questionable.
What”s next for Battlefield?
Electronic Arts says it is far from abandoning the shooter and contradicts rumours that only a few developers are still working on Battlefield 2042. In fact, other projects are said to be delayed in order to be able to devote the necessary attention to the game:
Despite all this, however, the next Battlefield title is probably already being planned, which is to come in 2024. In the meantime, it is considered certain that we can look forward to a single-player campaign again.
What do you think of Battlefield”s current state? Will you give the game another chance with new content, or is it already dead for you? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments!
