With just one month to go until its original October launch date, the last-minute decision has been made to delay Battlefield 2042 to November 19, 2021. The game was expected to release on October 22, a mid-fall window that has been historically advantageous for the Battlefield series in order to get ahead of Call of Duty's annual releases, which often launch in November. Battlefield 2042 will now release after Call of Duty: Vanguard this coming November.
EA has become relatively quiet about Battlefield 2042 after a busy summer that saw its reveal and gameplay debut. A cinematic trailer was released in August, cementing the return of Battlefield 4's Irish in Battlefield 2042 and a private technical test was also held, but the publisher and lead developer DICE haven't shared much substantial info since then. A beta was previously announced for September, but no specific release date has been set so far. It seems this may have been a result of some internal shuffling at EA studios, which has led to the game's full release being delayed.
On Wednesday, EA confirmed to investors that Battlefield 2042 will not hit its expected October release date and will now move to November 19, 2021. Prior to the announcement, rumors suggested Battlefield 2042 would be delayed, but it wasn't clear how much of a delay it would be. It seems the official delay will be relatively minor, and EA cites the pandemic as a main reason for the new release date. According to the publisher, "updates" on the open beta will be shared before September is over.
Although Battlefield 2042 may take more of a hit in sales due to the fact it is launching after Call of Duty, it could give DICE the time it needs to make appropriate changes and avoid a PR nightmare. The series has a reputation of launching with rough bugs and networking issues, so hopefully, DICE can iron things out to ensure a smooth launch. EA still has not indicated when it will show Battlefield 2042's new mode, Hazard Zone. The mode is expected to be similar to a battle royale or Escape from Tarkov, but the developer has yet to budge on any concrete details.
Battlefield 2042 will still launch in time for the holiday season, but the game will be sandwiched between its two biggest competitors, Call of Duty: Vanguard and Halo Infinite. The latter is on Xbox Game Pass and has a free-to-play multiplayer mode, so it may not be too detrimental to Battlefield 2042 sales, but it does take EA's biggest title of 2021 out of its usual sweet spot. Battlefield V launched around the same time a few years ago and was considered a commercial disappointment by EA, so it'll be interesting to see if Battlefield 2042 can overcome the odds.
Battlefield 2042 will be available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on November 19, 2021.
Source: EA