EA Digital Illusions CE, better known to most gamers as DICE, has announced that support for persistent servers will be coming to its online shooterBattlefield 2042in a new update. The addition of persistent servers is the latest attempt to address the many issues players have had with the game’s servers since its release, such as the rampantXP farming inBattlefield 2042that was the target of earlier updates.
Launched in November of 2021 for PC as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles,Battlefield 2042is the latest entry in the long-running team-based multiplayer shooter franchise that began with the release ofBattlefield 1942in 2002. Featuring large-scale battles on huge maps with dozens or more players and a wide variety of vehicles for gamers to control, theBattlefieldfranchise has maintained a distinct identity in the subsequent years that has helped it stand out among othermilitary-themed shooters likeCall of Duty. Though praised for the innovations it brought to the online shooter genre, recent releases in the series have been criticized by many fans for their uneven quality level compared to earlier entries in the franchise.
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In a news post published on theBattlefield 2042homepage, DICE announced that support for persistent servers would be coming to the game with the upcoming #2.2 Game Update. The addition of persistent servers will allow a server to remain visible in the server browser even when empty, making it easier for community members to quickly start a game without requiring the server owner to sign in and activate the server. The multiplayer shooter has been faced with low player counts ever since the game’s launch, dropping so dramatically at one point thata single player became the host forBattlefield 2042’s South African region, so DICE likely hopes that adding persistent servers will draw some players back to the game.
AlthoughBattlefield 2042was widely praised for its impressive graphics when it launched in 2021, post-launch complaints about bugs affecting everything from the game’s servers to the way the vehicles handled quickly overshadowed the shooter’s glossy visuals. Many long timeBattlefieldfans had been wary of the game even before its release, displeased at the news that EA would bepadding out emptyBattlefield 2042servers with bots. Even as fixes and new features have been added to the game post-launch,Battlefield 2042has struggled at times to draw in new players and retain existing ones.
The addition of persistent servers should be welcome news for online communities still enjoying the intense military action inBattlefield 2042, making it easier to quickly hop into a match with friends whenever the desire strikes. Though this new feature may not solve all ofBattlefield 2042’s issues, it serves as a signal that EA is still working to make the game one that lives up to the series’ legendary legacy.
Battlefield 2042is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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