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Since Battlefield 2042's release, things have gone wrong for EA and DICE in every possible way. What was supposed to be the founding pillar of future Battlefield games has gone the opposite as fans have routinely complained about the overall quality. The resulting drop in the player count has stemmed a bit recently with the launch of Zero Hour.
The game's first season was supposed to be released in the spring when DICE announced a delay in its plans. It has taken a summer for the developers to add seasonal content, and the overall reception has been somewhat positive.
It mainly concerns the brand new Exposure map, which matches many requirements. However, an important question remains - will it be enough to help Battlefield 2042 increase its player count?
The new season of Battlefield 2042 has seen an increase in players
Battlefield 2042 is available on all major platforms, but the only place where its number of players can be counted is on Steam. When the game launched, it saw over 100,000 players on Steam alone. However, the game soon became one of the worst-reviewed games at launch, and the player count started to fall.
Such had been the sentiments against Battlefield 2042 that the tracked player count even went down below 1000. With the release of Season One, things look positive for once. Based on the Steam numbers, the month of June has seen a spike in the player count by more than 1000%, but there's a catch.
While the spike might seem massive, it results from insufficient numbers in the first place. Even with a rebound, the number of players playing the game is less than 1/10 than its previous peak. While the actual number of players is likely to be more with consoles, there's no doubt that the signs are positive.
The Exposure map is on point and matches many players' requests. However, it doesn't solve the problems with the existing maps, some of which have been a significant problem. For DICE, the job is far from over as there are plenty of areas where the game needs to improve significantly.
Battlefield 2042's problems aren't limited to the maps, as other areas have been problematic for the players. Specialists, for one, need changes, and players have been against the feature. Many have repeatedly asked for an older class system, although DICE has stayed fixed at this point.
Then comes the matter of content like weapons in the game. A military shooter that doesn't have enough guns can quickly become boring for the fans. In the same timeframe, Battlefield 4 received many guns, which wasn't the case with the latest release.
Then comes the significant issue of the overall direction that DICE has taken with the current game and how it has dissatisfied the fans. With the start of Season One, the general mood is upbeat, but retaining the players will be a significant challenge.
Battlefield 2042's player count on Steam might have raised by more than 1000%, but a lot of work remains to be done. Most players are now checking out what's new in the game.
Thanks to the new map, their interest in playing the game has increased, but retaining it will require a lot of effort. DICE has often been blamed for slow work with patches and bug fixes. Players will eventually give up on the game if that happens again.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
