DICE Announces ‘Battlefield: 2042’ With Exciting Cinematic Trailer
Swedish developer DICE has announced the next installment of their flagship military shooter Battlefield. After spending the last two games in WWI and WWII respectively, the company is jumping into the future with Battlefield 2042. All that has been released so far is a visually stunning cinematic trailer. So while it is not necessarily indicative of the final product, it has built up more than enough hype for the game.
It has been announced that the game will be online only and will not feature any sort of single-player mode, nor will it feature the popular battle-royale modes games like Fortnite and Call of Duty have adopted. Instead it will focus on the series’ core gameplay component of massive online team-based battles, with the promise of up to 128 players in a single match. In addition, the series’ famous class system has been revised. While it remains to be seen how this will play out, I’m hoping it remains close to the spirit of the existing model, rather than turn into a hero shooter which is something other games already do better.
With the hardware available on modern PCs and consoles, DICE is not only upping the ante in terms of scale, but also destruction. A key feature of Battlefield games is their use of vehicles and destructible environments which look to be better than ever. The massive tornado at the end of the trailer also suggests the possible return of the “Levolution” mechanic from Battlefield 4. This mechanic introduced large scale disasters that would radically alter the maps and gameplay. It was a very cool idea, but was implemented with mixed results back in 2013, so one would hope that it is more refined this time around.
The trailer also teases a bit of the new setting. While other games this far into the feature might be more interested in fun sci-fi weapons and gadgets, Battlefield 2042 seems to be playing it relatively safe. Most weapons and vehicles look like sleeker versions of what exists today, while there are little bits os sci-fi gadgetry on the periphery, like combat robots reminiscent of Boston Dynamics’ current work and soldiers with wing-suits. The trailer also features a decent bit of fanservice, even doing a cinematic recreation of the viral Rendezook kill from Battlefield 4.
The major x-factor, as always, is publisher EA, and their history of atrocious decision making. Many an otherwise good game has been sullied by EA’s attempts to squeeze more money out of their properties, and Battlefield is no different. Whether the game will play fairly or be a pay-to-win loot box mess is anyone’s guess at this point. Given EA’s solid track record of pissing people off, it stands to reason that past behavior will continue to be a predictor of future behavior.
Nevertheless, fan response has been very positive so far, with the trailer spreading across social media and many anxious for new details to be divulged, hopefully at E3. DICE once again has the unenviable task of delivering on massive amounts of hype, but based on their history, they’ve been more successful than not.
