Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone is ending development, but a number of improvements are coming to the base game including map revamps and the addition of Rush as an official game mode.
The first six months of Battlefield 2042 have not gone as well as EA might have hoped. Although there are ambitious plans for a wider Battlefield universe, the game likely hasn't done as well as expected as evidenced by it going on sale less than a month after launch. EA Dice has continued to work on making the game better and a lot of details about the future of the game have been revealed -- including an end to the development of Hazard Zone.
Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone is 'Winding Down Future Development'
There's a mix of good news and bad news for Battlefield fans today, so let's start with the bad news -- Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone is ending development.
"[...] we’re winding down future development on Hazard Zone," read a portion of a lengthy news post released today. "All of us on the team had great ambition and high hopes for this new Battlefield experience throughout our development, but we’re the first to hold our hands up and acknowledge that it hasn’t found the right home in Battlefield 2042 and that we’ll benefit greatly from letting our focus and energy stay on the modes we see you engaging most with."
If you're one of the handful of people who enjoy Hazard Zone, you'll still be able to play it going forward -- there just won't be any new content developed for it, nor will any new future maps be adapted for this mode. EA Dice will, however, address any critical bugs or issues that emerge.
EA Dice Has Ambitious Plans for the Future of Battlefield 2042
And now, on to the good news -- EA Dice has revealed a number of reworks and improvements coming to Battlefield 2042 as it gets ready for the launch of Season 1 in the next few weeks. EA Dice is focusing on four core pillars of development: maps, experiences & modes, core gameplay, and new content.
Aside from the development of new maps, the devs are working on improving existing ones. Kaleidoscope and Renewal, in particular, are getting more cover and revised capture point arrangements.
The various game modes are getting some adjustments. 64-player Breakout has apparently proved popular enough that it's going to supplant the 128-player version entirely, though EA Dice is careful to mention that it will continue to support 128-player game modes where it makes sense. Furthermore, 32-player Rush will be joining the lineup of official game modes -- a good move considering how much the removal of Rush upset the playerbase in the past.
EA Dice will also be addressing the subject of Specialists. The move away from a class-based system was controversial, to say the least, and the devs are very conscious of the community's feelings about this change. However, shifting away from this system would significantly delay future development. For the moment, the focus is going to be on improving the gameplay of individual specialists, updating their voice lines (and hopefully making them a little less cheesy), and enhancing their look.
Weapons, too, will be getting improvements. New guns, attachments, and gadgets will be added in the future. Furthermore, weapons from the previous games will be added to the core All-Out Warfare experience, though this won't be "a simple or fast change" and will likely take some time to implement.
Finally, there's the matter of new content. Season 1 is just around the corner and more details will be revealed about it next month; beyond that, a total of three seasons are planned, each of which will probably last around three months.
EA Dice has a lot of work ahead of it, but it seems that the developers have a good idea of what direction to take the game in. For now, you can jump in on the action by buying Battlefield 2042 for PC and consoles starting at $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
