As the release of Battlefield 2042 draws nearer, rumors are beginning to swirl around the game's unannounced content. Outside of the more traditional Conquest and Breakthrough battles, 2042 will have a game mode called Hazard Zone, and another that is allegedly named Battlefield Hub, featuring remastered maps, weapons, and vehicles from the series' past games. Battlefield Hub is an interesting premise, embracing the already chaotic nature of Battlefield, but if it hopes to have any longevity, it might want to take some inspiration from Halo's celebrated Forge mode.
Forge first came to the flagship Xbox series with Halo 3, giving players a level editor in which to build maps, alongside a wide range of game type settings. Both maps and game types could be saved and shared online for others to enjoy. Custom games have become something of a series staple, even making it into the Master Chief Collection with a dedicated browser. The addition of Forge and its custom game creation tools have given longevity to many Halo games, something Battlefield Hub could have a chance to accomplish with 2042 - assuming the rumors are true.
Details on Battlefield Hub are scarce and unconfirmed, coming via a possible leak from Tom Henderson on YouTube. Henderson claims Battlefield Hub will allow players to essentially combine past games' assets, remastered for 2042, into one battle. Pitting a Battlefield 3 tank against one from Battlefield 1 was a given example. Some of the larger maps from past Battlefield games will possibly support 2042's 128 player lobbies as well.
Battlefield Hub Will Need Customization Tools To Stay Fresh
This elevator pitch for Battlefield Hub is an interesting surprise, even if details remain scarce, with Henderson mentioning multiple times that it was difficult to find other sources to corroborate the rumored leak. There isn't any information on how exactly the games will work, though it is being emphasized as a less balanced, more casual experience due to the variety in weaponry. This sounds interesting for the novelty, but doesn't exactly seem like a game mode that would stick around for the long term if it's just a more whacky version of Conquest.
Battlefield 2042 should put the fate of any kind of Battlefield Hub mode in the hands of the community, giving them enough tools to create custom maps and game modes like Halo's Forge. Seeing what the community can come up with given free rein in classic Battlefield maps sounds much more interesting than a less structured amalgamation of previous games.
It's a bit hard to imagine the same level of construction that Forge has in Battlefield, but even letting players pick specific areas on maps, add some structures, choose weapons and vehicles, and create a ruleset would likely be enough for the Battlefield community to start working on some custom games. Halo's Forge mode is an embracement of the purely fun aspects of the series, and doing the same in Battlefield 2042 would be in line with the current marketing trend of using trailers to promote the series' more ludicrous gameplay.