After insurmountable success with their earlier title, DICE are once again back to dominate the large-scale battlefield simulation genre. The upcoming title was first announced at the E3 event in June and has since sent the gaming community into a whipped-up frenzy. The games have for years been the main competitors of the Call of Duty franchise, but what have DICE got in store for us this time around?
When and Where will Battlefield 2042 be set?
The battlefield franchise has throughout the years jumped from past wars such as the world wars to modern fields of battle. However, it’s clear from the title that Battlefield 2042 is set to be the franchise’s first outing to the realms of the future. This is quite a bold move on DICE’s part, as we saw very split opinions when Treyarch did the same thing back in 2021. To move from plausible scenarios of history to the fictional ones of tomorrow’s world perhaps isn’t the best way to achieve an authentic feel to a war game. Hopefully, DICE will carry this off better and not go over the top as we have seen in a few Call of Duty titles since.
Battlefield 2042 will be set in the year (yes, you’ve guessed it) 2042. We’re catapulted 20 years into the future. America and Russia are in the throes of a violent conflict and robot penguins are yet to be invented. The chances are that, due to the not-so-far-future dating of Battlefield 2042, the technology available will be similar to what we see today. Hopefully, 20-years isn’t long enough in the future for all soldiers to be equipped with turbo boosters (ahem, Treyarch).
Despite the lack of robotic penguins, 2042 is host to robotic canines called Rangers and, of course, the staple technology of today – drones. These are just two of the futuristic features due to appear in DICE’s latest, they are, however, signs of good things to come.
Battlefield 2042 will have 128-Player Servers
Yes, you read that right. Previously Battlefield games have featured 64-player matches. However, current technology has allowed for the doubling of this number and we are set to see monumental 128-player battles with the release of Battlefield 2042. Twice the players, twice the fun? We’re counting on it.
EA has confirmed that to make these matches fun at all times, bots will populate games that lack a full server of human players. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be constantly finding yourself up against AI opponents, however. As soon as a human player joins, the bots are replaced. Hopefully, we won’t see many AI adversaries in the earlier days of Battlefield 2042, but they will definitely serve a purpose when the game begins to lose its popularity.
Battlefield 2042 won’t Feature a Single-Player Campaign
Having cut back single-player campaigns to a minimum in past games, EA has announced that there won’t be any form of campaign at all in Battlefield 2042. This comes as a real shame as the likes of Battlefield Hardline and Battlefield V have before offered us remarkable campaigns. Hopefully, however, this was done so they could concentrate more on the multiplayer aspect of the game.
No Battle Royale Mode
Having tried this in Battlefield V with the Firestorm mode, DICE and EA have decided not to continue the mode into their new installment. This could be a conscious effort to not jump on the bandwagon or just their realization that Firestorm wasn’t the hit they thought it would be. Either way, I’m happy with the outcome.
Summary
With their esteemed track record, it’s looking hopeful that the Battlefield franchise is once again set to break the mould and define multiplayer shooter games to come. As long as they don’t go down the same tracks as Call of Duty with needlessly exaggerated technologies, Battlefield 2042 will be the game everyone’s playing.
Battlefield 2042 is set to release on November 19 on all major consoles and PC.