Battlefield 2042, which was previously dealing with player count issues and negative reviews, has experienced a significant resurgence in players over a recent free-to-play weekend. Developer DICE launched the first-person shooter back in October 2021 and it soon earned the dubious distinction of being one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam. Among the complaints were numerous bugs, performance troubles, gameplay changes and missing features.

The player count plummeted rapidly after launch, to the point that the older Battlefield 5 actually had more players. EA's Andrew Wilson even confessed to investors that the game had failed to meet its anticipated targets.

Yet, DICE persevered, continuing with updates and improvements. The game recently had a free weekend on all platforms, which saw Steam players peak at 102,009 concurrent users. The free weekend was timed to compete with Modern Warfare 3's open beta, so the resurgence is even more noteworthy considering the stiff competition.

As it stands, Battlefield 2042 remains a hit on Steam. Moreover, EA has hinted at a promising future for the Battlefield franchise, despite the recent troubles. Seattle-based Ridgeline Games is working on the franchise's first single-player campaign since Battlefield 5. DICE is handling multiplayer, as expected, while Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA) is developing an entirely new Battlefield experience.

Moving forward, Wilson has said that the next Battlefield game will be a "reimagination" as a "truly connected ecosystem". Plans are underway to rejuvenate the Battlefield franchise in the future. Until then, Battlefield 2042 might just be worth giving a shot.