Last week, EA revealed that Battlefield 2042 is going to be overseen by one of the big names out of Respawn Entertainment. This is likely the best decision that the publisher could make, because Respawn Entertainment crafted Apex Legends, one of the most popular shooters on the market. It may not make sense if Battlefield 2042 is going to be a single product forever, but that’s not the plan, as we’ve now been told. Instead, Battlefield 2042 is a franchise, part of a wider universe that’s going to be expanding with new content over time. I actually really love this idea, and I think it’ll go on to serve EA well.
Battlefield 2042 has had a less than ideal launch. Most people found issues with the game outside of the fact that there’s no campaign. I quite enjoy it for the Portal mode, but outside of that, I don’t think it’s a standout game. It’s something that sort of melts into thebackground. That’s because it’s still a shooter that’s based on the popular shooter competition model that Call of Duty uses. The issue is, no one cares about those games anymore. It takes individuality and gimmicks to make a shooter stand by itself now, like how Apex Legends mixes up battle royale with teams of three and has its own universe and lore.
EA has explained that multiple studios are now working on Battlefield content that will slot into the Battlefield universe. Some of this is going to line up with Battlefield 2042, while other releases will be separate from the game, but still linked to the universe. This is similar to how the Tom Clancy’s universe works. All the games are very separate, but the characters live in a shared world where events are referenced and influence each game.
I’m excited for the future of Battlefield 2042 now. I think that there’s a lot more coming than we know about, and it’s going to go on to make the game something special. However, right now, it’s still difficult to get into. I can’t deny that. All I can say is that it’s probably worth pushing through for the reward that’s going to come when we get loads more content for the game in a few months, or a year.