DICE is so committed to fixing Battlefield 2042, it's not starting any new projects

EA DICE general manager Rebecka Coutaz says the team is committed to making Battlefield 2042 a game it can be proud of, and everything else is on hold.

Image via Electronic Arts
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Battlefield 2042 was an epic flop. Between missing features, broken mechanics, and mile-long lists of bugs, it was in no way what fans wanted to see out of a much beloved FPS franchise. However, Electronic Arts and developer DICE are not giving up on the game. Rather than cut their losses and move on, relatively new general manager Rebecka Coutaz says the team is dedicated to fixing Battlefield 2042 and it’s pretty much the only thing DICE will have time for over the course of the next few years.

Coutaz shared her thoughts on Battlefield 2042 in a recent conversation with GamesIndustry.biz, where she laid out the team’s commitment to fixing the game. That means not working on anything new, including a possible return to franchises like Mirror’s Edge. When asked about other projects such as Mirror’s Edge, Coutaz was adamant about the team’s efforts to fix Battlefield and make it a game the team can eventually be proud of.

Rebecka Coutaz is convinced EA DICE can put in the work necessary to turn Battlefield 2042 into the game it was supposed to be.
Rebecka Coutaz is convinced EA DICE can put in the work necessary to turn Battlefield 2042 into the game it was supposed to be.

It's a bit of an uphill battle to transform Battlefield 2042 into something good, but one DICE isn’t shying away from.

“We are only focusing on Battlefield 2042,” Coutaz said. “There is no time for anything else and this is what we want to do. In three years, we want to be the first-person shooter powerhouse that DICE deserves to be, and that is what we're going for.”

Coutaz would go on to say that for some of the DICE team, it’s a bit of a vendetta to turn perception of the game around.

“I want the team to be really proud about Battlefield 2042,” she continues. “That is what they are chasing and they have their heart and the passion there. We want to be really, really proud of DICE. We want DICE to be the number one spot for first-person shooter games in Europe, and one of the powerhouses in the world. It's a fabulous team. We're going to make magic together.”

In our review of Battlefield 2042, we were downtrodden about the state of the game, seeing how it shipped in a clearly unacceptable state. Between a lack of cohesiveness in modes and maps, a questionable swap of the class system, a difficult UI, and other issues, it just wasn’t good. It can certainly be said that on a long enough timeline, EA and DICE might be able to fix these issues and make Battlefield 2042 into the game it was supposed to be. The reasonable question then becomes, at that point, will anyone still care? Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

From The Chatty
    • reply
      June 22, 2022 3:46 PM

      Someone let me know when it's safe to buy.

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 5:27 PM

        worth it at full price!

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 5:30 PM

        When it’s free on gamepass shortly.

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 5:45 AM

        Picked it up for $19 from JB Hi-Fi. Definitely getting my money's worth playing with mates.

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 4:27 PM

      Well, that's good!

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 4:45 PM

      Gut feel is that this is an absolute lie.

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 4:47 PM

      Her words are corporate garbage

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 4:55 PM

      Hahaha oh dear. Wrong call. Needs anthem style termination

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 5:25 PM

      Not starting any new projects...code words for prepping for massive downsizing?

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 5:25 PM

      Why?

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 5:40 PM

        Need to ask themselves why they released it in that state to begin with.

        • reply
          June 22, 2022 7:42 PM

          it's worked well for them in the past I assume but you can only roll on reputation for so long

        • reply
          June 23, 2022 8:03 AM

          They started out making a Battle Royale and two years into development that people were expecting a Battlefield game instead of a Battle Royale game.

          "But you guys were going to call it Battlefield 2042, what the hell?"

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 9:45 PM

        Sunk cost fallacy

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 5:38 PM

      In reality "Help, we are trapped in an EA laundry and need help!"

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 6:04 PM

      I've tried to play, but after waiting 15 minutes in a lobby of 6 people I gave up and uninstalled.

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 7:40 PM

      doubling down I see...

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 8:05 PM

      Remove operators, replace with full character customization.

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 8:40 PM

        Why they didn't expand upon BFV I haven't a clue. Give us some sunglasses, beards, bandannas, hats, whatevers to customize it up.

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 8:06 PM

      Welp, I guess DICE will never make another game.

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 8:08 PM

        Don’t be sad /shoots self

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 8:36 PM

        Feels bad Man :(

        • reply
          June 22, 2022 10:09 PM

          Opposite feels of that Antonio Banderas video.

          • reply
            June 22, 2022 10:27 PM

            Kcd

          • reply
            June 23, 2022 12:04 AM

            No kidding :( , I really hate reading this sort on info it makes me feel old + sad & like all hope is gone. On the flip side even if it ends up to be really bad and another casualty of the corporation and EA I am sure another company will try and carry the torch.

            Regardless, DICE doesn't deserve this(at all, can't stress this enough), same with Frostbite, Battlefield and any other projects they wanted to make or continue. Maybe EA did not get the memo on Elden Ring... is it just me or so many of these massive corporation / MEGA companies are loosing touch of what works and what consumers want or what made them successful?

            Some times I feel like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRL80YB0x3s&t=6s , maybe this will be the official "Opposite feels of that Antonio Banderas video" :)

            Crazy times we live in, I am sure tomorrow it will be a better day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am trying out Sonic Origins right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 8:13 PM

      Diamond Hands!

      • reply
        June 22, 2022 8:54 PM

        Today I am proud

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 8:07 AM

        This and sunk cost fallacy are so apt. Sometimes you gotta call it a loss apologize and say what you will do and prove it next time to earn trust.

        • reply
          June 23, 2022 8:25 AM

          yup. the game had no idea what it was supposed to be, nothing was polished nor ready to play. part BR, part division dark zone, part battlelog DIY game hosting (portal mode), part battlefield (breakthrough mode)

          then we get into "WTF WERE YOU THINKING" when they added zombies to portal mode, and removed it 24 hours later due to XP farming games being spun up so fast it lagged all game clients

          call it a loss, leave 2042 to rot. move on. this game cannot be salvaged, because it's not a game, its a disjointed game by focus group. no vision from directors or producers, it's throwing a bunch of games at people going "MAKE YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE" which fails miserably because there's no common playerbase in any of them.

          earn our trust in a new thing, not applying duct tape to a house that's already been hit and flattened by a hurricane. you can't save it.

    • reply
      June 22, 2022 8:38 PM

      SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE they are.

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 1:33 AM

      they need to do another free weekend. i used the last 2hrs of my free trial after the new patch/map and the game is much better - but no one is going to pay to find that out.

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 4:58 AM

      They need to strip out all the garbage, including the specialists, and make most of it f2p

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 8:10 AM

        They should've done the F2P thing with Hardline YEARS ago but never did. I don't think they'll do this with 2042.

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 5:44 AM

      I’d like another mirror’s edge, please

    • reply
      June 23, 2022 8:00 AM

      Game is $20 right now on Amazon.

      • reply
        June 23, 2022 8:04 AM

        But then I would have to still reward DICE for their turd. I'll wait for Gamepass or not at all. I know they get a cut from GP but other than a used copy it's the best I'll do for them. DICE doesn't get rewarded with a sale from me for that flaming dumpster.

        • reply
          June 23, 2022 8:27 AM

          It’s not a turd

          • reply
            June 23, 2022 4:15 PM

            Sorry. It's a whole steaming pile crap.

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