Crossplay, crossprogression, crosssave – there are now heaps of trends that have to do with cross-platform gameplay. But will Battlefield 2042 support them?
You have to read between the lines, because DICE is still keeping quiet: Crossplay for Battlefield 2042 has not yet been officially confirmed. Sorry, we’d like a definitive answer too. But what we can give you instead is a forecast.
Because the new Battlefield is naturally placed in a trend market that makes certain strategies likely and others unlikely. By the way: Our Battlefield expert Phil thinks the strategy behind Battlefield 2042 is exactly the right way.
So: Is crossplay realistic for Battlefield 2042? Yes, but. There are some clear indications that speak in favour of cross-platform play – but also technical limitations that will pretty much prevent all platforms from being truly linked. So let’s take a look, according to the vague statement.
What does DICE officially say about crossplay in Battlefield 2042?
During the preview event for Battlefield 2042, to which the international press was invited, DICE’s general manager Oskar Gabrielson was quite vague about crossplay features. He said that the community would be very happy about it – and concrete information will be given at a later date. You can see what EA and DICE reveal about Battlefield 2042 here:
Battlefield 2042 – Trailer Analysis: What you need to know now!
What speaks for crossplay in Battlefield 2042?
The fact that Gabrielson talks about crossplay at all is the first hint that speaks for such a feature. Because from experience, DICE and EA are silent when they sit out a trend. But there are also three other indications for crossplay and crossprogression:
– The success of Apex: Apex Legends is by far the most successful multiplayer shooter EA has launched in years – and this success also results from the completely borderless crossplay between PC and consoles.
– General trends: Battlefield 2042 will not be able to ignore the trends of its time. The biggest competitor – Call of Duty: Warzone – scores with crossplay. Rainbow Six is also experimenting with console crossplay. And Fortnite anyway. Hardly any shooter can currently afford to let the competition take the lead in platform compatibility.
– The Microsoft deal: EA and Microsoft are in a partnership deal. That’s why the first Battlefield gameplay was shown in Microsoft’s E3 stream, and why heaps of EA games end up in Game Pass. For Microsoft, cross-platform gameplay is one of the most important items on the agenda. It is quite possible that strong impulses will be given here in the direction of crossplay for Battlefield.
With Battlefield 2042, DICE very obviously wants to take modern trends with it. New maps and DLCs are free, there are seasonal Battle Passes, later allegedly also free areas (Battle Royale after release?) – a crossplay feature would fit perfectly into the picture here.
What speaks against crossplay in Battlefield 2042?
We are pretty sure that Battlefield 2042 will not make crossplay possible in the direction of last-gen consoles. The technical differences are too big for that. On PS4 and Xbox One the server size will be limited to 64 players (compared to 128 people on PC, PS5 and Series X), the maps will be smaller and so on. So basically two different games. It just doesn’t seem technically feasible to bring players of both versions together.
Whether Sony will really go along with crossplay on the PS5 is far from certain due to the Microsoft partnership. In the past, the PlayStation company has always been coy about cross-play.
Battlefield 2042 will be released on 22 October 2021 for PC and all consoles. We expect more concrete information on cross-play features by gamescom at the end of August at the latest. Until then, we recommend our big overview with all the information on Battlefield 2042 so far.
