Battlefield 2042 won't have voice chat at launch, could come in December

Published November 12, 2021 9:30 AM, by TJ Denzer

In-game chat is a bit of a cluster foxtrot of toxicity in a lot of games (especially competitive shooters), but it’s still hard to imagine a large-scale multiplayer game would forgo it entirely at launch. Nonetheless, that seems to be the case with Battlefield 2042. Reportedly, not only will the game not feature in-game voice chat when it launches, but it won’t be implemented until an update about a month after the game’s launch.

This odd information comes from The Washington Post’s recent early impressions of Battlefield 2042. Where the several outlets had hands-on time with the game, it was also learned that VOIP would not be included in the game at launch. Apparently, during a Q&A, the developers said they expected players would rather use external apps such as Discord or Xbox and PlayStation’s party chat for such things. However, a spokesperson would later say that in-game voice chat is “on the road map.” Even still, they also said it could come as early as “Day 25,” which would be December 14, 2021, by our count.

It’s not exactly unfounded logic behind DICE’s decision to prioritize other things leading up to Battlefield 2042’s launch. The developers are right that there’s plenty of easily accessible alternatives. Toxicity is also an issue. You’ll be able to report toxic chat in Battlefield 2042, but it’s unknown if the game will have any sort of chat moderation like what Riot Games’ Valorant has done.

Even so, Battlefield 2042 is a nearly entirely multiplayer game and the omission of in-game voice chat is a curious one. It’s especially concerning when you’ve got a co-op scenario like Hazard Zone where squads compete to collect intel and objectives, making voice chat a near necessity.

We had some good words and our own reservations about Battlefield 2042 in our recent hands-on impressions, but it seems DICE and EA have work to do on the game that will go well past its delayed launch date on November 19. Stay tuned for further details and updates as they become available.