Battlefield 2042 appears to have begun its redemption story. During the recent free weekend, it reached over 100K concurrent players on Steam for the first time in two years, and many believed that this was merely due to the game going free-to-play.
However, Steam statistics show that the game has retained a large chunk of its recent player base, peaking at around 100K concurrent players again.
Why it matters: Battlefield 2042 had one of the worst launches in the history of the franchise, with many losing hope in the game from the beginning.
According to SteamDB, nearly 40K players are active in the game as we write.
For the past two days, Battiefleid 2042 has peaked at around 100K concurrent players. The free access period ended on 16 October, but the game has not lost its players after this duration.
The first-person shooter was also on sale recently. Therefore, it seems many players enjoyed their time with the free weekend period and picked the game up during this sale. Dice provides further evidence for this theory.
The developer recently tweeted that demand for Battlefield 2042 is high, leading to server capacity issues.
We're aware that some of you are currently unable to log into #Battlefield2042 due to Server Capacity messages.
Demand is high right now, and we're working to improve this as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/0b3fAnkdXI
— Battlefield Comms (@BattlefieldComm) October 18, 2023
We believe this is a turning point for Battlefield 2042. While many players credited the free weekend for the game’s recent popularity, similar free events in the past had not been too well received.
However, Dice has released plenty of DLC content for the game since then. Crucial gameplay changes have also been made, changing the specialist system and bringing it closer to the traditional classes of previous Battlefield games.
New maps have been better received than many launch offerings, and the game no longer lacks basic features like a functioning scoreboard. While the updates may not make up for the launch disappointment, Battlefield 2042 presents a more complete package today.
Since its release, the game has also arrived on both PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass. Such efforts have led to small impacts on gaming audiences, culminating in the massive popularity boost seen today.
If Dice continues to support the game and rides this momentum, the title may become one of the most successful Battlefield releases to date.
Prior Battlefield games have also shown that players are willing to look past a poor launch, with releases like Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 5 being remembered fondly after Dice made significant improvements post-release.
In recent years, releases like Cyberpunk 2077 have proven that no game is completely doomed in today’s industry, and a comeback is always just a few good updates away.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.