The Battlefield 2042 beta left many players disappointed as several of the game’s features were seemingly missing, in addition to some performance issues. According to EA, this was because the build was several months old. However, renowned Battlefield leaker Tom Henderson claims the beta build wasn’t as old as first implied. Instead, the reason the excuse was given is because DICE is having stability issues with its game builds and the development of Battlefield 2042 is in trouble.
In a post before the Battlefield 2042 beta went live on October 6, the EA DICE team explained how the beta “was branched from our Full Release client a few months ago, and polished and improved to provide a great snapshot of the full experience that you’ll have when the game launches in November.” The problem was this build had several issues, including one that wouldn’t even let some players past the start screen, and another where some game effects resulted in flashing lights that had the potential to trigger photosensitive conditions. PlayStation 5 DualSense controller features were also not fully supported, something that “is otherwise presently being developed and tested for possible inclusion later down the road.” This statement makes it appear that Battlefield 2042 won’t have DualSense features at launch, and may not ever get them.
Several developers reportedly spoke to Henderson about the age of the beta build. While exact dates are conflicting, the earliest date given was August 19 and not the “few months” alleged by EA and DICE. Henderson claims several sources have also told him “DICE is having major stability issues with builds of the game” and this has prevented them from releasing gameplay footage to the public.
Management issues are reported to be at the root of Battlefield 2042’s development issues. When some key management figures transferred to Battlefield 2042 from Star Wars Battlefront II, they reportedly weren’t “committed enough to the project.” There has apparently been a lot of inspiration drawn from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which led to several of the typical Battlefield features, like the class system, to be removed from Battlefield 2042. Problems brought to management also allegedly “fall on deaf ears.”
There’s no denying Battlefield 2042’s development has had its issues. The PS5 technical test was cancelled, and both the game and its beta were delayed, which EA said was due to problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Battlefield 2042’s final mode, Hazard Zone, is due to be revealed on October 14 and many of the team hope that will reignite interest in the game for at least some of the players discouraged by the beta. Battlefield 2042 is set to be released on November 19.
[Source: Gaming Intel, EA]
