Battlefield 2042‘s launch in November 2021 was anything but smooth, with the game facing a barrage of criticism from its dedicated fan base. The once-thriving Battlefield community found itself divided, with many players expressing frustration over the game’s direction, design choices, and technical issues.
However, amidst the chaos, DICE made a crucial decision that may have been the key to regaining the faith of their fans: actively listening to and addressing player feedback.
In the months following Battlefield 2042‘s release, the developers found themselves at a crossroads. They could either double down on their vision for the game, or they could take a step back and rethink their strategy in light of the community’s concerns.
Fortunately for Battlefield fans, DICE chose the latter.
Triangulating Player Feedback
In an interview with GameRant, DICE producer Nika Bender emphasized the importance of player sentiment in shaping the game’s development:
So contrary to popular belief just because not all of us are engaged in conversations, I know a lot of us are reading all the forums out there – Reddit, Twitter, it doesn’t matter where it is because we do.
…first, we are game developers. We are very passionate about what players are thinking about our game and how they’re playing our game and, you know, “Are we fulfilling their expectations?”
Shashank Uchil, BF2042‘s lead level designer, further explained that the team uses a “three-pronged” approach to understanding the issues players are facing:
One is how we feel, we can look at telemetry as to what is actually happening numerically, and then you can see sentiment-wise what’s happening because there are a bunch of times when sentiment and numbers don’t match. You might feel something, but the numbers say something else.
This commitment to actively listening to the Battlefield community’s feedback proved to be a vital factor in DICE’s efforts to “turn the ship around” with Battlefield 2042.
As the game struggled to find its footing, the developers took bold steps to address core issues, such as completely reworking and redesigning all seven launch maps and introducing a new class system to strike a balance between the unique abilities of Specialists and the clear class identities that players had come to expect.
The Final Chapter: Season 7 & Beyond
As Battlefield 2042 enters its final season with the recently launched Season 7: Turning Point, DICE continues to show their dedication to improving the game based on player feedback. The season has introduced new content, such as the Haven map set in Chile, the revamped Stadium map, new weapons, a new gadget, and a new vehicle.
However, EA has confirmed that Season 7 will be the last official season for Battlefield 2042. Following its conclusion, the game will receive ongoing support in the form of in-game challenges, events, modes, and ongoing maintenance, but no further seasons will be released.
This decision comes as EA and DICE shift their “resources and focus to be fully dedicated to what comes next.”
Despite the game’s tumultuous journey, the lessons learned from Battlefield 2042‘s development and the value of player feedback will undoubtedly shape the future of the franchise. As DICE moves forward with their next project, they have the opportunity to build upon the foundation of open communication and cooperation with the community that they have established over the past years.
Battlefield 2042 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
