- Battlefield 2042 does not plan any competitive mode at release, but may get one later into the game’s development
- It will all come down to demand from competitive gamers and whether they want to see Battlefield get closer to esports
- If enough grassroots support builds up, the developers would consider moving further on esports
Esports won’t be a part of Battlefield 2042’s launch with more competitive features possibly coming later into the game’s development.
Esports Not Currently an Option for Battlefield
At a time when developers have seized the opportunity to turn their games into virtual sports, not everyone seems keen on following the same path. In a recent update, Battlefield 2042 developers offered an insight into why this is with Ripple Effect Studios Senior Design Director Justin Wiebe denying speculation that the dev team may be looking into an early esports start for the game.
While this may have dashed fan’s hopes of a more structured and competitive game, Wiebe didn’t rule out the possibility and said that the “ranked mode” or “esports mode” absence was discussed for the launch date, but not necessarily throughout the development cycle of the game.
Wiebe acknowledged that the community would be able to weigh in on the matter and if a critical mass existed that promoted the adoption of esports and competitive elements, he would like to hear about it.
“And we’ll kind of see what happens after that,” Wiebe added. Wiebe is correct in his approach. Many games have gone after esports fame today and, admittedly most have been largely successful.
Call of Duty, Battlefield’s biggest competitor, has successfully leveraged not one but three competitive titles set in the CoD universe at the same time.
Riot Games, a company known for its MOBA titles and soft spin-offs, has been able to create a compelling, new-generation shooter that found originality in a world dominated by Battlefield, Overwatch, Counter-Strike, and many others.
A Competitive Challenge on a Massive Scale
Turning Battlefield into an all-out competitive title has its challenges. For starters, the game is planning a “Portal Mode” which will pit 128 players in a single map, similar to Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).
Imagine turning those into two teams of 64 teams, a surreal challenge that no esports organization would be able to address. As Wiebe said, though, the community would be able to pitch solutions and put forward ideas as to how to create a more esports-oriented experience around Battlefield 2042.
Presently, one floated idea is allowing players to create custom modes that could narrow down the battlefield and bring it in a more constrained environment. The futuristic shooter will allow players customization options through the Portal Mode, one of the developers confirmed in an interview making it quite possible that if enough grassroots momentum builds up, developers will approach the esports aspect of Battlefield more seriously.
