Battlefield 2042 Announces Major Change Ahead of Update

05/18/2022 12:44 pm EDT

A new Battlefield 2042 update is releasing tomorrow via PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X, and it comes with a fairly major change that seemingly tells you everything you need to know about the current state of Battlefield 2042. The latest Battlefield game flopped out the gate due to several performance issues, missing content, and a metric ton of bugs, and it's never recovered. Thanks to Steam, we know many aren't playing the 2021 first-person shooter on PC, but it's less clear if anyone on console is playing the game. And of course, there are plenty playing the game, but clearly not enough. Matchmaking takes a long time and lobbies are full of bots, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that the 128-player Breakthrough mode is being removed from the game. Going forward, the player count will be 64.

Of course, DICE and EA aren't chalking up the change to the fact that the game's player base is small and dwindling, but fans responding to the news have confirmed they never get into full 128 player lobbies playing the mode. So, what is EA and Dice saying is inspiring the change? Well, apparently it's a design decision.

"In this update, we're making multiple updates to the All-Out Warfare rotations. Our leading change is the removal of the 128 player version of Breakthrough," says DICE of the change. "When reviewing the available experiences in All-Out Warfare, we felt that the 128 player modes are better suited for Conquest where gameplay spaces are larger, and where you have a more natural fit for sandbox gameplay. In Breakthrough's 128-player mode, we feel that the value and impact of an individual player, and squad is reduced due to the increased intensity and chaos of the combat. When reviewing Breakthrough, we noted that the 64-player version represented a more tactical experience. Reducing our player count here helps to remove some of the chaos from the experience, and in combination with the reductions that we have made to the number of available combat vehicles, it means players are better able to hold frontlines more effectively. Players will also find more space to work together and fulfill their individual roles As a result, squads in Breakthrough 64 have a better opportunity to work together, to flank the enemy, place a spawn beacon, use their plus menu to attach suppressors, then clear, and hold a point – one squad helping turn the tide as an example. We believe that the move to 64 players will bring back the pacing that helps celebrate these moments of teamwork and PTFOing, and will be keeping a close eye on how our changes help to improve the experience ahead of the start of Season 1."

As alluded to, this change isn't live yet and won't be until the update goes live tomorrow across all platforms. It remains to be seen what the file sizes are, but we do have the patch notes.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.