Battlefield 2042 developer DICE seems to be learning the “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” lesson a little late. After making a lot of changes to the series’ formula with last year’s shooter, the team has not only fixed the game this whole year, but now make it more like the old games.
“In Battlefield 2042 In Season 5, you’ll see us leaning on previous games and how they might appear in the world of 2042,” senior producer Ryan MacArthur said in a roadmap blog post (opens in new tab).
Season 4 will be released in late December 2022, while Season 5 will ring in the New Year in early 2023. According to DICE, it will “revive a mix of veteran developers alongside those working on their first game. [into Battlefield 2042].”
Get a first look at what’s coming to #Battlefield 2042 next year⛑️The introduction of classes🗺Upcoming map reworks👀First details on season 4 and season 5Full details👇https://t.co/Nif8CVJeS8 pic.twitter. com/smZqnGzIvzDecember 1, 2022
Greetings of the season
A key part of this is the return of classes, a classic feature of the series that was stripped down with Battlefield 2042 and replaced with Specialists: characters with unique abilities that didn’t fit into class roles. With the 3.2 update, DICE assigns all current Specialists “defined roles with a range of gadgets and gear that best suit their purpose on the battlefield,” MacArthur writes.
Another Specialist is coming with Season 4 and DICE plans to add them to the Recon class. “With the return to classes and our roster totaling 14, we are thrilled with the number of Specialists and the variety of gameplay they will allow you to experience.
So our focus will continue to listen to your feedback to expand the sandbox in other ways by making design and balance changes to your class-based combat, along with continuing to expand skins and cosmetics to give you more ways to to stand on the battlefield.”
In addition to the latest Specialist, the next update brings a new map that MacArthur describes as “smaller, shorter, and linearly designed for the up-close and personal combat that Battlefield is famous for.”
While MacArthur keeps the details of Season 5 small, he does say that the “new Season 5 map coming up will be a forgotten battlefield that last fought in the Battlefield 4 era. An overgrown area, overrun with vegetation and through the War of 2042. It will encourage a combination of vehicular and infantry combat, meaning team play is key to victory.
We can look forward to that in 2023.