Battlefield 2042 has already established a reputation for embracing the series' past. The ambitious new Battlefield Portal mode will give players access to remastered, classic Battlefield games, and the game's new Exodus short film now connects Battlefield 2042's near future to the story of past titles. Exodus' main character is Kimble "Irish" Graves, a member of Battlefield 4's Tombstone Squad, making Battlefield 2042 a direct sequel to BF4.
Irish is also joined in Exodus by his former squad mate, Clayton Pakowski, who meets his unfortunate demise in the short film. The two were United States Marines during Battlefield 4's fictional War of 2020. Early in BF4's campaign, Tombstone Squad aids a group of refugees stranded in the ocean after an electromagnetic pulse attack on Shanghai. This experience apparently had a significant effect on Irish, who, 22 years later, is no longer a Marine.
Irish's sympathy for the plight of refugees has led him to a prominent role amongst the Non-Patriated population in the near-future setting of Battlefield 2042. Due to compounding repercussions from climate disasters and economic collapses, there are 1.2 billion displaced individuals who have no sort of citizenship. Many No-Pats with combat experience have found contracted mercenary work, resulting in the Specialists players control in the conflicts of Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042 Appears Only Loosely Connected To BF4
Irish does not appear to have aged much in the years between the stories of Battlefield 4 and 2042, but his allegiances have changed. Seeing the effect war has on civilians firsthand appears to have driven Irish from the Marines and toward the plight of the No-Pats. He considers himself personally responsible for the lives of those aboard his ship, the Exodus, and is trying to do everything in his power to stop the burgeoning global conflict between the United States and Russia.
In Exodus, Irish is positioned as being directly opposed to another, much more mysterious No-Pat figure simply known as "Oz." Hoping to leverage the coming conflict in the No-Pats' favor, Oz is seeking to escalate the tensions between the U.S. and Russia. Oz believes the future of the No-Pats lies in the destruction of the status quo and is seeking to be the puppet master behind the fall of nations that refuse to acknowledge the issues facing the Non-Patriated societies.
Irish does not agree with this approach, wishing instead for the sovereign nations of the world to recognize the Non-Patriated so that solutions to their troubled existence can be found. Ironically, the only course of action for Irish is to join the very conflict Oz is trying to orchestrate in order to stop him. Irish and Pakowski's existence in the Exodus short film makes Battlefield 2042 technically a sequel to Battlefield 4, but Irish's character being involved seems to be the extent of the connections.
Battlefield 2042 comes to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 22, 2021.