Battlefield 2042 Almost Looked Completely Different

Followings tons of hype and fanfare — and even a delay — the release of "Battlefield 2042," slated for Nov. 19, is right around the corner. After previous titles "Battlefield 1" and "Battlefield 5" attracted mixed reception, the latest release of EA's most popular first-person shooter franchise — which takes place in the near-future — is seen as a return to form for the series, even if the beta period was a bit of a mess (per Forbes). But that almost wasn't the case, according to a purported leak circulating online.

For much of its history, the "Battlefield" series has differentiated itself from its contemporaries by placing more of an emphasis on teamwork in an all-out war setting, a complete departure from the preferred run-and-gun styles of games like "Call of Duty" or "Counter Strike: Global Offensive". "Battlefield" has classically seen teams of 32 players — divided into squads of 6 — dropped into sprawling settings where collaboration typically get them further than individual domination does. To make things even sweeter for longtime fans of the series, the newest installment has increased the total number of players from 64 to 128, doubling down on the chaos the games typically bring.

However, had developers DICE been able to realize its true vision, it's likely "Battlefield 2042" would've been completely different. 

According to industry insider Tom Henderson, "Battlefield 2042" originally entered development with the intention of being a battle royale game. This revelation, of course, was met with vitriol by fans on Twitter, with more than a few people referring to the failure of "Firestorm," the Battle Royale mode featured as part of "Battlefield 5." Henderson went on to say that it was unclear when exactly DICE abandoned this plan in favor of a more traditional experience in line with past titles.

The battle royale genre has nearly oversaturated the market in recent years. Even while titles like "Fortnite" and "Apex Legends" continue to gain steam and maintain relevance in the modern zeitgeist of gaming culture, many of their competitors have faltered. Some games, such as "PUBG" and "Call of Duty: WarZone," have managed to give the market a run for its money, but those success stories are outliers when compared to games like "H1Z1," which ultimately failed to catch on with fans.

As of right now, there are no plans for "Battlefield 2042" to implement a battle royale mode, meaning hardcore fans can sleep soundly knowing that the powers-that-be over at EA didn't completely change what makes the series special. At least for now.