Battlefield leaker Tom Henderson shared a tweet last week claiming that EA was considering making DICE’s latest effort, Battlefield 2042, free to play because of how poorly the multiplayer-only shooter was performing.
Henderson has followed that information up today with a new, more substantial video that speculates Battlefield 2042 will indeed be going free to play, but only a portion of it. More specifically, sources and analysts are predicting that the major change will be applied to Battlefield 2042’s Portal, one of the game’s major modes that allows players to create customized matches with maps that include those from past Battlefield titles.
“Battlefield Portal is a platform where you will discover unexpected battles and change the rules of war,” reads a description from DICE. “Countless experiences from several Battlefield sandboxes await – not only from Battlefield 2042, but the classics Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3, too. Take on custom-made modes or create your own unique experience using powerful builder tools.”
Henderson suggests that Battlefield 2042’s Hazard mode was also in the mix, but Hazard going free to play seems much less likely due to its relatively low player base. That mode only attracts a couple hundred players a day, the leaker estimates.
EA will presumably share more about the fate of Battlefield 2042 during its next earnings call, which is scheduled for the first of February. Whatever EA decides to do may result in some sort of PR nightmare, as Battlefield 2042 was only launched around three months ago at a full retail price of $59.99.
Source: Tom Henderson