Battlefield 2042 player count falls below previous franchise entry despite new map and specialist in Season One

Given that Battlefield 2042 is the latest addition to the iconic franchise, one would expect the game to have a solid player base. After all, the title was developed as a multiplayer-only experience, and it wouldn't make much sense if there were no players.

The recent seasonal update saw the game reviving some of the player bases it had lost. However, the fears and apprehensions of many have come true as it has once again fallen behind its predecessor in terms of an active player count. This has occurred in just one month since the first season of "Zero Hour," and its content had arrived.

The problem for Battlefield 2042 goes deeper than the first season, which in itself had a major delay. Things have been extremely rocky since the game was released, as it has become one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam.

The entire array of issues has been vast, ranging from bugs creating nuisance to poor content letting the players down. With fresh content and a new map, some of the interest was regained, but one month on, it looks back to square one for EA and DICE.

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Battlefield 2042 is back to the same hole it was in since launch, despite all the new seasonal content

There was never any doubt that the new season would bring back players Battlefield 2042 had lost due to its problems. However, there were some reservations over the amount of content being added. While the player count on Steam crossed 10,000 after the update, many weren't sure how sustainable those numbers would be.

At the time of writing, Battlefield V has more concurrent players than 2042, which goes on to say all there's to say. Ironically, 2018 had a rocky release to begin with, and the game has massively improved with all the updates that have ensued. However, the game doesn't have seasonal updates. Yet, players seem clear with their choices regarding the game they want to play.

At the time of writing, 6025 players are live in Battlefield V, and the daily peak numbers are higher. With two years of added content, players can enjoy quality and quantity.

In contrast, Battlefield 2042 has 4650 active players, which is incidentally more than the shocking lows it has experienced. However, it has lost more than 50% of the numbers regained with the start of the first season.

This shows that the apprehensions and fears the players had have turned out to be true. It's also worth pointing out that there's a major gulf in the number of positive reviews of both games, with Battlefield V being rated far better.

If one tries to analyze the reasons, one won't have to look too deep. Yes, Zero Hour brought new content, and some of them, like a new map, have been asked for by the fans for a long time. However, the content crunch of Battlefield 2042 has always been massive from the start.

So far, the addition of weapons has been negligible. The brand new Exposure map, as good as it is, has been just one new map in nearly nine months. Naturally, players are bound to feel bored playing on the same map every game. There are also some decisions like removing the 128-player Breakthrough mode that few are fans of.

The debacle of Battlefield 2042 is not down to one or two reasons. It's a collection of mismanagement and poor development over the last eight months. As things stand, it's hard to imagine how DICE can recover the lost trust and interest of the players as news of another game in the series gains traction.