The Battlefield 2042 beta has come and gone, and EA and developer DICE can’t be that happy about the response. Fans have flooded every forum available with complaints, with criticisms ranging from the feel and design of the game, to more fundamental concerns like poor performance and spotty connections. Prior to the launch of the beta, DICE seemingly tried to temper expectations, saying the build was actually a “few months old.” A somewhat odd thing to admit, but it allowed DICE to deflect some of the criticism of the beta – you’re playing an old build! The final build will be better! Or will it?
According to a new article from insider Tom Henderson, who’s been right on the money when it comes almost everything Battlefield 2042 related, the game’s beta build is actually from early-to-mid September. This was around when the beta was originally supposed to come out before Battlefield 2042 was delayed again and apparently the build was not updated – DICE simply used the September build for the October beta. Henderson cautions that the content of the beta may have been set somewhat before mid-September, but still, the notion that it was many months old feels increasingly unlikely.
It sounds like beta timing issues aren’t the only problem behind-the-scenes at DICE. Again according to Henderson, there are issues with management at DICE, with project leaders said to be deaf to criticism and adverse to creativity. Word is, management is trying to chase 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with the Battlefield 2042’s criticized Specialists being influenced by CoD’s operators. Apparently, things are in a bad enough state that some DICE employees are worried for their jobs.
Of course, take this all with a grain of salt for now, but again, Henderson has had the goods on Battlefield in the past, and clearly something’s awry at some level given the state the Battlefield 2042 beta arrived in.
Battlefield 2042 launches on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 on November 19.
