New DICE boss Rebecka Coutaz says that the team is currently fully focused on improving Battlefield 2042 after a disappointing launch. She says the studio has "no time" for other projects such as Mirror's Edge or Star Wars Battlefront due to its dedication to 2042.
Why is DICE so focused on Battlefield 2042?
It's fair to say that the launch for Battlefield 2042 was a pretty disappointing one. Numerous bugs and technical issues plagued the game's launch back in November last year; the issues were so bad that a multiplayer scoreboard showing each team's score was only added in March this year. Despite these problems, DICE head Rebecka Coutaz, who took over from the departing Oskar Gabrielson just a few months ago, says the studio "owes" players its hard work in order to improve the game going forward.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Coutaz says that the studio never considered abandoning Battlefield 2042, despite rumors that it would do so. She says the team "couldn't do that to our players and we couldn't do that to ourselves". She points to the recent launch of the game's first season (which ran into online connectivity issues at launch), which she says has received "good feedback" from players, as evidence that DICE is turning the game's fortunes around. Coutaz says each Battlefield 2042 patch represents "a little, little win" for the team, and that "bug after bug, patch after patch", the team is slowly improving the game.
Unfortunately, that means that when it comes to other projects, Coutaz and the team simply have no time for them. When GI.biz brings up Mirror's Edge and asks if that franchise is on the back burner (along with other non-Battlefield DICE franchises), Coutaz is unequivocal. She says this is "totally" the case and that there is "no time" for anything else. According to Coutaz, the studio is focused on being a "first-person shooter powerhouse", so it's not looking like we can expect any more games from other DICE franchises anytime soon. It's well worth reading the full GamesIndustry.biz interview to get an insight into Coutaz, DICE, and their processes. She goes into some detail about the studio's remote working system, as well as the changes in a leadership structure that happened after the launch of Battlefield 2042. Give it a look if you're a fan of the game.
What is Battlefield 2042?
Battlefield 2042 is the most recent installment in the long-running Battlefield series of first-person shooters. As the name suggests, the game takes place in the near future, focusing on military tech like drones and AI for its gameplay. It does away with the time-honored class system of the Battlefield franchise, choosing instead to have players play as one of several Specialists roughly analogous to previous Battlefield classes. Despite the game's rough launch and "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam, DICE has released regular updates for it, bringing in balance tweaks, new content, and the aforementioned scoreboard.
If you're buoyed by DICE's talk of working hard on Battlefield 2042, you can grab the game right now for PC, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox platforms. Right now, the content on the horizon for the game doesn't appear too promising, but perhaps with Coutaz and the team's renewed commitment to Battlefield 2042, we'll see some more substantial updates in the future. As always, be sure to stay tuned to TechRaptor for more information on this game as soon as we get it.
