I think we can generally agree that Battlefield 2042, like most Battlefield games, is off to a bit of a rough start. People are certainly still playing the latest multiplayer sandbox shooter from DICE, but there have been lots of bugs, glitches, and complaints of missing “legacy features" from the initial release.
DICE is taking this criticism to heart it seems. A Battlefield data miner named temporoyal has looked into the game’s files and found intel that indicates Battlefield 2042’s pre-season will last a whopping 12 weeks.
According to temporoyal (courtesy of Eurogamer), Battlefield 2042’s first actual season won’t start until March of 2022. That’s five months from release, which some players are saying is way too long for a pre-season.
The likeliest explanation for such a long pre-season is that DICE is still trying to figure out some of Battlefield 2042’s seasonal features and monetization, but development time has mostly been focused on fixing all of Battlefield’s various bugs. Another data mine from earlier this month revealed that DICE at least thought of monetizing the coming holiday season with some Christmas-themed cosmetics, but player backlash forced that plan on hold. This is speculation, but likely DICE has gone back to the drawing board on what it planned to release in terms of seasonal and paid content to avoid a similar backlash.
Still, five months is a long time to wait for a game that many feel is fairly barren in terms of content.
The same data mine that revealed a five-month pre-season also got some new details on a previously discovered new map that it’s development. Called “Exposure,” it’ll revolve around a secret US/Canadian research facility in the Rocky Mountains that was exposed in a landslide. Russia thinks its a weapons research facility and sends in its forces to take control, while US and Canadian militaries send reinforcements to defend the installation.