EA says Battlefield 2042 did not meet expectations

During its Q3 2022 earnings call, publisher EA confirmed that Battlefield 2042 did not meet expectations, though the company declined to give details on how many players the game saw or how many copies were sold. This came shortly after the news that Season One of Battlefield 2042 is being delayed to sometime early in summer 2022.

EA also noted that while Battlefield 2042’s sales were “disappointing,” it was offset by the success of other games such as Madden NFL 22 and FIFA 22. EA reported net bookings of $7.25 billion overall, up 22% year-over-year from EA’s Q2 2021 results. Growth in the ongoing battle royale shooter Apex Legends was also noted, with monthly active player count up more than 30% year-over-year.

Despite previously expressing interest in NFTs and blockchain technology, EA stated that these concepts are not something the company is “driving on” and will evaluate as time goes on.

Looking ahead, EA is putting more resources behind the Battlefield franchise, with additional content being developed by Ripple Effect and a new Seattle-based team, while Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella is overseeing the Battlefield series as a whole.

EA is also working on both licensed and original games in the years to come, with Motive Studios working on Dead Space remake and BioWare handling the next Dragon Age and Mass Effect games. Meanwhile, Respawn Entertainment is working on three different Star Wars games, including a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.