EA’s “Worst Mistake” - The Tragedy of Battlefield 2042

[00:06] already even when stacked against the large and looming shadow of activations Call of Duty Electronic Arts and developer dice always position Battlefield as the cream of the crop for first-person military

[00:20] of the crop for first-person military shooters

[00:33] dropping players into hectic vehicle-involved encounters set to precedent hardly rivaled however Battlefield 5 tested such thinking launching in November 2018 to reviews that labeled it messy unpolished and

[00:49] technically unsound the World War II said experience found better footing years later but by that time series faithful had cast their gaze toward the faithful had cast their gaze toward the next major outing Battlefield 2042

[01:02] to a degree the futuristic Battlefield aimed to abandon and magnify the Brand's core tenets parting ways with the usual class system in favor of introducing Specialists Mainstay features such as the scoreboard also took a back seat at

[01:16] launch in late 2021. dice further astewed tradition by not developing a single-player campaign to focus its efforts on building a live service unfortunately 2042 arrived in a disaster estate plagued with issues that would

[01:30] result in its categorization as the worst launch in brand history but after eating crow for months on end Battlefield 2042's developers eventually managed to improve upon the base game some wondered whether such change came

[01:45] too late given that amid all the turbulence EA shared his intention of overhauling the property with new leadership at the helm the maligned 2021 entry could thus Mark the end of an era this is the tragedy of Battlefield 2042

[02:02] this is the tragedy of Battlefield 2042 [Music] this video has been brought to you in part by wanted Dead

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[04:00] updates for Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Battlefield v e a and dice issued a statement to IGN outlining the Studio's long-term plans which revolved around production on a new Battlefield set for release in 2021. the April 2020

[04:15] statement constituted Ground Zero for months of Insider leaks and speculation shooter rumors build the title and formally referred to as Battlefield 6 as a mammoth-sized experience whose expansive

[04:30] Maps would hold 128 players EA CEO Andrew Wilson later added fuel to the fire boasting in a November 2020 earnings call of the games never before seen scale the executive additionally insisted PlayStation and Xbox's next-gen

[04:45] Hardware was helping dice fully realized its next-gen vision and that internal play testing had yielded very positive feedback those familiar with the that Wilson's comments were far from a representation of reality

[04:59] a distinct lack of creative freedom drove well over a dozen senior developers away from Dice during Battlefield 5's production many of these veterans had devoted more than a decade of their careers to the franchise yet EA

[05:13] often dismissed their proposals on how to advance Battlefield forward instead following the path laid by rival Shooters since Battle Royale had taken the industry by storm EA set its size on a battlefield version of the mode

[05:25] popularized by playerunknown's Battlegrounds hence the Inception of Firestorm this particular Battlefield 5 mode fought an uphill battle from the outset after all the main game's relatively lackluster sales guaranteed a

[05:38] limited player base for Firestorm plus the absence of several series experts meant the Battle Royale wouldn't likely reach its full potential regardless EA longed for a piece of the pie that Pub G fortnite and Call of

[05:53] Duty's blackout offering so enjoyed respawn entertainments then work in progress Apex Legends showed promise but there was no assuring its success especially since the studio actively pursued the free to play route at the

[06:06] time then Battlefield still seemed the Publisher's best bet at breaking ground in the Battle Royale space Firestorm remained a priority but a full-blown Battlefield Battle Royale eventually occupied center stage with EA reportedly

[06:19] advising dice to mimic the genre's most popular gameplay design choices speaking with industry Insider Tom Henderson former developers stated this embryonic phase of development spawned some of 2042's features including the plus menu

[06:33] and call-in tablets for vehicles whatever trepidations developers may have felt about the franchise's New Direction were further compounded by the Aging frostbite technology a 2016 version of the engine powered

[06:45] Battlefield V which simply wouldn't suffice considering the battle royale's planned feature set but because so many of frostbite system designers had Departed the studio an upgrade was easier said than done all told

[06:57] production on what would become 2042 lasted for three years 18 months of frostbite according to Henderson sources General work on the project persisted throughout 2019 the controversial

[07:10] decision to shed the class system for Specialists not taking route until early 2020. the player base's investment in Apex Legends distinct characters inspired a choice so too did the billions Activision had raked in from

[07:23] Call of Duty microtransactions that loot boxes were coming under Fire from governments around the world also reinforced EA's interest in alternative revenue streams amid these changes die staffers found themselves facing the

[07:36] challenge of working from home because of the covid-19 pandemic integrating more obstacles under these circumstances as most developers didn't have the equipment necessary to work remotely a hardware Leasing system helped in many

[07:50] respects yet progress hit additional roadblocks given a sure amount of data employees were required to download on a daily basis reportedly the Studio's less experienced developers especially struggled during this period missing out

[08:02] on hands-on experience which culminated in a logistical nightmare for senior afar the biggest shift for the new Battlefield manifested between the months of April and August 2020 wherein

[08:15] it pivoted from a battle royale epic to a standard dice experience Tom Henderson's reporting cited Call of Duty warzone's release and subsequent success as a major motivating factor massive Maps 128 player matches and a doubling

[08:30] down on the specialist system became the name of the game while the Battle Royale can see ostensibly inspired the final products Hazard Zone mode notably the project entered full production in August 2020 just as dice

[08:43] was putting the finishing touches on the DraStic conceptual leap that left the team with 15 months to build a next-gen battlefield making the EA CEO's February 2021 statements about the title being way ahead of schedule a

[08:56] misrepresentation of the facts allegedly his comments originated from assumptions made by inexperienced dice leads by this point though higher ups at least resulting in EA's supposedly unprecedented decision to pull burnout

[09:11] Creator Criterion from Need for Speed and shift those resources to Battlefield 2042 interestingly enough EA had already assembled battlefield's biggest development team to date comprising dice

[09:23] its La satellite Criterion and former Need for Speed Studio EA Gothenburg dice divulged in a blog update that while Criterion and the LA crew helped the

[09:36] main office fulfill a shared vision for the game EA Gothenburg assumed the task of taking the technology to the next level in due course Dai Saleh later renamed ripple effect revealed its creation of Battlefield portal a

[09:49] player-driven game mode where end users could build content based on 2042 and could build content based on 2042 and older entries namely 1942 Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3. Gabriel sends right up further teased the title's Epic scale

[10:03] with everything people loved about Battlefield while amplifying it to a completely different degree and at the center of it all sat all-out military Warfare and game-changing levels of Destruction dice expounded on these

[10:18] ideas upon formerly unveiling Battlefield 2042 in June 2021. Battlefield 2042 in June 2021. thank you

[10:48] settings of more recent installments the next Battlefield drop players 20 years into the future as opposed to exploring the backdrop in a single-player campaign a multiplayer only experience feel the Endeavor supporting 128 users on PC PS5

[11:03] Endeavor supporting 128 users on PC PS5 and Xbox series X slash S meanwhile the PS4 and Xbox One versions would host up to 64 players AI Bots rounded out the numbers for solo and Squad play according to design director Daniel

[11:16] Berlin foregoing a traditional story mode constituted a dice's way of Leaning into what it did best massive battlefields and massive multiplayer experiences but even in the absence of a campaign the developer told Eurogamer

[11:30] that Battlefield 2042 emphasized a distinct narrative-driven context that hinged on a climate change-induced humanitarian crisis the world of 2042 apocalypse to an endpoint wherein several Nations became destabilized thus

[11:46] crisis that culminates in displaced persons enlisted by the United States or Russia to fight another world war replacing battlefield's typical class system refugees adopted the title of non-patriated and served as the shooters

[12:01] Specialists each of whom wielded unique abilities and character traits through which players perceived the events of the so-called narrative-driven world Battlefield 2042's initial reveal only

[12:14] confirms select details outlining the conquests and breakthrough modes yet withholding specifics about the squad-based hazard Zone mode for an EA information regarding the then unannounced Battlefield portal similarly

[12:28] remained Under Wraps but dice wasted no time clarifying that Battle Royale gameplay wasn't on the cards despite the most increasing popularity among the competition in a sense then the developers did well to set expectations

[12:41] early on thereby letting the marketing in the months leading up to release possess of course the larger than usual Maps preemptively mitigate the concerns of anyone who thought the spaciousness too

[12:56] overwhelming Berlin guaranteed the team had implemented design pillars to ensure players always clustered toward locations packed with other people plus dice brought back the concept of Levolution from Battlefield 4 and

[13:08] Hardline in which destructive events significantly changed to Maps landscape and by proxy shifted the course of battle the developers additionally claimed extreme weather incidents like sandstorms could alter match Dynamics

[13:20] and equal fashion fortunately for fans they'll wait to see how such promises they'll wait to see how such promises played out did not last for long

[13:32] So today we're talking about Battlefield 2042 getting hit with a delay can you believe Battlefield 2042 was delayed a month um but it seems like Battlefield 2042 is either being pushed back too late of

[13:45] this year or more likely 2022. yes everyone has kind of been losing their everyone has kind of been losing their minds this morning because again to during the same time frame Battlefield 2042's release got postponed weeks ahead

[13:59] complications stemming from the work from home mandate induced by the coronavirus pandemic forced the multiplayer only shooter out of its October 2021 due date and into a mid-november slot dice assured the

[14:13] prolonged production necessitated a mere polishing job and didn't require an overhaul by any measure still Electronic Arts and dice made plenty of room for an open Beta session in early October the Impressions among critics and players

[14:26] generally recognize the title's potential though few could ignore the Grim Omen laid bare by its astounding technical hiccups some beta participants had trouble advancing beyond the main menu screen loadouts occasionally failed

[14:40] to feature selected weapons frame rate drops derailed many a play session asked at a Troublesome number of camera related issues a community lead and producer addressed the problems in separate social media posts identifying

[14:52] that beta build as a few months old and therefore not a good representation of the targeted final product producer Ben walk told Reddit users the game had since received a significant amount of fixes tweaks and improvements then noted

[15:06] the build's age couldn't be avoided due to the nature of software development despite gaming Outlets labeling it a buggy mess the beta for the futuristic Battlefield entry accumulated more than 7.7 million players its Early Access

[15:19] period exclusive to pre-order purchasers and EA play subscribers amassed over 3.1 million users to become the biggest early access event in the Publisher's history such successes mattered little in Battlefield 2042 later arrived on PC

[15:35] PlayStation and Xbox Platforms in a state worse than the beta's roughest moments those who bought the gold and ultimate and one hundred and twenty dollars respectively received one week early

[15:48] access and made quick note of the game's Myriad issues dub dub buggy mess like the beta Battlefield 2042's final version played host to glitched specialist abilities glaring visual bugs data loading errors and a long laundry

[16:02] list of other shocking technical woes well well well that was fun players cited instances of Dead character models standing upright hovering in midair for no reason or being randomly thrown across the map

[16:16] became the norm for some worst still many users found themselves in positions where enemies wouldn't succumb to a hail of bullet fire the cyberpunk 2077 of of bullet fire the cyberpunk 2077 of 2021 had touched down in the form of an

[16:30] all-new Battlefield Adventure public reception reflected as much too within days of its launch Battlefield 2042 landed on a list of steam's worst reviewed games ever critically it counted as the lowest rated game in

[16:43] franchise history the turbulent rollout even inspired the creation of a playable parody clown field 2042 which miraculously hit steam to Rave user performance and graphical bugs were only part albeit a large part of a much

[17:00] players expressed their frustrations with the absence of content and the remixing of other features community members especially took umbrage with the new specialist characters replacing the classic class system the user interface

[17:14] didn't hold up against player scrutiny either the lack of a scoreboard for individual players and teams also ruffled feathers that Dice and Company left out a spectator mode and certain server-related quality of life made the

[17:27] day one version of Battlefield 2042 that much more difficult to Rally behind much more difficult to Rally behind [Music]

[17:49] changes and fresh content updates shortly after launch but it hardly proved enough to alleviate a widespread dissatisfaction and in some cases the upset went too far evidenced in the overwhelming toxicity that plagued the

[18:02] battlefield subreddit some of it grew out of grievances leveled at developers significant updates during the holidays or immediately thereafter The Strain between the development team and its user base snowballed so badly that

[18:15] Community leads threatened to lock the Reddit page in January 2022 around the same time a contingent of steam players opted to vote with their wallets securing refunds beyond the platform's 14-day policy the Steam

[18:29] Community invested its energy elsewhere too has data at one point show 2042's player counts dipped below that of older entries such as Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5. well aware of the discontent dice took great strides to

[18:42] address player feedback though it meant postponing previously scheduled releases by several months in February 2022 developers delayed this season 1 update slated for the year's first quarter to an early summer window the goal was to

[18:57] weaker points introducing modifications based on criticism and guaranteeing the season one content would be high quality to the Delight of many a fan the included a much coveted scoreboard overhaul and all chat functionality it

[19:13] didn't take but a few months for dice to deliver on said promises and roll out other game-changing additions the most impactful arriving alongside season one the Season One update went live in June bringing with it a brand new map battle

[19:28] pass weapons and a previously unavailable specialist despite its minimal additions Zero Hour marked a major step forward much of the battlefield Community agreed that for the first time since launch the

[19:41] futuristic FPS title felt fun enjoyable even news specialist evalina Liz wielded an overpowered rocket launcher that required balance adjustments but still injected the experience with a breath of fresh air Zero Hour stealth helicopter

[19:55] and weapons similarly mixed up the action in exciting ways yet the two-level exposure map particularly lifted the spirit's abusers who'd spent seven months questioning whether the beleaguered game would ever enjoy better

[20:07] sedimists the landslide exposing a secret U.S military facility exposure addressed numerous complaints leveled against the maps preceding it tighter spaces gave way to intense combat encounters and the inventive uses of

[20:20] verticality ensured the firefights never grew too long dedicated players further locales whose map designs they pejoratively likened to walking simulators the primary issue players found on day one was the lengthy travel

[20:34] time required between points of interest on any given map thanks to no small part on any given map thanks to no small part to Battlefield 2042's 128 player matches agreeing with this consensus dice patched the Kaleidoscope map and a late

[20:47] setting with improved gameplay Flow by moving base spawns and flags closer together such advancements rejuvenated the player base though the rumors circulating during this period suggested

[20:59] EA had entered Abandoned Ship territory with respect to battlefield's latest installment denying claims that only a skeleton crew would continue pushing out content for the for sale future the publisher said a significant team across

[21:11] Studios remained hard at work on evolving and improving Battlefield 2042 subsequent months with the debut of season 2 3 and 4 between August 2022 and

[21:24] February 2023. a few hiccups reared their heads every so often however for example weeks before the season 3 update dice removed its limited time Liquidators event only 30 minutes after launch because of game breaking

[21:38] progression bugs the mishap proved there were still growing pains to iron out but regardless of minor faults here and there the good in Battlefield 2042 had there the good in Battlefield 2042 had slowly started out weighing the bat

[22:08] demonstrated that the multiplayer only Battlefield was rounding the curve of a Redemption Arc it most importantly added the traditional class system by organizing Specialists into assault engineer Recon and Support classes from

[22:23] the community's perspective the class-based changes seemed the perfect pairing of systems new and old what's more the 3.2 patch coincided with the release of season 4 in late February which EA soon thereafter followed up

[22:36] with a PlayStation Plus launch according to True trophies data showed PS plus to True trophies data showed PS plus boosted 2042's PlayStation user base by over 500 percent an impressive feat for an experience that the public widely

[22:50] dismissed just 12 months prior even the once toxic online community felt the positive ramifications of game-changing adjustments the battlefield 2042 subreddit in particular had turned over a new Leaf by March 2023 with player

[23:05] replaced by match highlights level-headed suggestions and helpful tips and the addition of classes could only accept partial responsibility better maps on top of the slow trickle of Battlefield Portal's old school

[23:19] weapons into the main game further Amplified 2042's profile among series yet EA's long-term plan for the property begs the question of how exactly Battlefield 2042 as well as the old guard at dice will factor into the

[23:34] future in December 2021 mere weeks after the title's polarizing debut reports about a major shake-up of the brand hit the web the publisher expressed its intent of building a connected Battlefield Universe an ambitious

[23:48] expansion helmed by Call of Duty Alum and respawn entertainment co-founder Vince sampela while 2042 apparently remains Central to the strategy eventual narratives and characters Halo co-creator Marcus lato plays an integral

[24:04] part in this branch of the equation heading up Seattle Studio Ridgeline battlefield campaign some of the IP's well-established creative minds won't participate in these Endeavors though dice GM Oscar

[24:17] gabrielson exited the company at the end of 2021. Ubisoft anesthesis ex Studio director Rebecca kataz assumed the GM role joining several Battlefield veterans to help pave the path forward what the road ahead entails is anyone's

[24:31] guests yet it seems ampella and other higher-ups are especially interested in revisiting what shaped Battlefield at the height of its powers speaking with financial news publication Barons the franchise's new Overseer argued that

[24:44] 2042 strayed a little too far from what Battlefield is pursuing a bold direction for purposes of growing a player count ultimately distracted from the time needed to iterate on what made this series fun zampella noted evidently dice

[25:00] drew the same conclusions considering it removed the 128 player breakthrough playlist and provided users with a more tactical 64-player option to be fit classic Battlefield engagements these drastic changes and those of a minor

[25:14] scale effectively address the call for iteration and such strides continue to that may persist for quite a while longer but no matter how long support for Battlefield 2042 lasts its Legacy will

[25:28] likely remain tainted by the array of unforced errors that beset its first year on the market consequently whatever follows in 2042's Stead will have the difficult task of reasserting Battlefield as a force to be reckoned

[25:42] Battlefield as a force to be reckoned with

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