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Battlefield 2042 will go down in gaming history as one of the biggest disappointments in the modern era.
The game's fall from grace has been staggering, with the first sign of cracks appearing right after the game's release. DICE and EA have both been bullish and believed that the 2021 release would take the series to a new high.
But the reception of the game has been abysmal. A few days ago, Steam offered the players a refund even if the normal refund rules didn't apply. The player count has also dropped to the point where Battlefield V, its predecessor, feels like a better game.
When one assesses the causes of the game's downfall, the most significant concerns and points of criticism are quite apparent. There are strong reasons why Battlefield 2042 became one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam after launch.
Major reasons for the downfall of Battlefield 2042
The biggest decline has been its player count. The game launched with a huge number of players, which quickly declined as the game's shortcomings appeared. The player count went to such lows that it was surpassed by active players in Battlefield V, its predecessor and a four-year-old game.
There are multiple reasons for this latest debacle from DICE and EA. Call of Duty Vanguard sales may have taken a hit due to its shortened campaign. Battlefield 2042, on the other hand, doesn't have any campaigns. The game is entirely multiplayer, which has irritated many fans who are more fans of story-based campaigns.
There are a few fundamentals of any good multi-player-based game - good server connections, fair gameplay and exciting modes. Battlefield 2042 could have been given brownie points for the different game modes, but the other two areas are massive letdowns.
Since its release, the game has had trouble with persistent network issues. DICE has claimed that the massive player base was the reason, but that excuse no longer works now since there is no massive player base, to begin with anymore.
As far as hacking and cheating are concerned, a cheat maker reportedly shut shop recently. It's not the anti-cheat system that did its job. According to the cheat maker, cheats don't work as intended in the game. Such has been the state of this title that even cheats have failed to serve their purpose.
Then there comes the topic of overall satisfaction. The 2021 release has gone back to the setting of the modern world after trying the World War 2 theme with Battlefield V. But it seems to have left something behind as the gunplay feels poor.
Along with all of these are the never-ending trials of the game with several bugs and glitches. Battlefield 2042 may call itself an AAA game, but it feels like barely anything apart from an early access game. DICE has a lot of work on its hands or the few people who have still kept their faith will be gone as well.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
