Around the world, a growing number of Battlefield 2042 players have signed a petition demanding a refund for the problematic game EA has purchased, accusing the developer of "false publicity" and launching the game in a "unplayable" state.
The months have been uneventful for Battlefield 2042, and in the days following its release last November, the shooter developed by DICE received "extraordinary accolades" as one of the worst-rated games ever on Steam. Eurogamer's Martin Robinson was similarly critical of it, even calling its release "a disaster," writing: "Ever since Battlefield 2042 went live on Friday, I've endured hard crashes, server issues, and a total inability to play all night... This is another battlefield game released in a state of regret. "
Since then, DICE has been working hard to rectify this situation. While developers have been using a series of post-launch updates to improve the gaming experience, it still can't avoid incurring anger over other issues after launch, and players feel that much-needed improvements to the game simply aren't coming fast enough. This year, DICE has delayed the scoreboard update for Battlefield 2042 by a month, and its first season of content won't arrive until "early summer," about six months after the game's release.
It was in this environment that frustrated Battlefield 2042 fans have now demanded refunds for the game on all platforms on Change.org. "Due to EA's false advertising, Battlefield 2042 released by EA is a mockery of every customer who buys this video game for $70 (more than 400 yuan)," the petition read. "Battlefield 2042 has cost consumers millions of dollars, fooling thousands of players around the world."
The petition goes on to claim that "EA and DICE did not keep many of the commitments they made at the time of release, and Battlefield 2042 was unplayable at the time of its release." Even today, Battlefield 2042 has a lot of issues that have drastically lowered the experience in the game to the point that many community members consider it an unfinished version. "
The petition states that if there are 50,000 signatures, players will try to launch a class action lawsuit against EA, and now it is rapidly approaching 40,000 signatures. It concluded: "The gaming community should not tolerate this abuse and bullying from multibillion-dollar companies that create unfinished games and false advertising that cost players financially." “
EA recently spoke about the plight of its Battlefield 2042 in a phone call to investors, acknowledging that its launch "did not meet expectations". EA boss Andrew Wilson also acknowledged that the game had "unexpected performance issues" at launch, noting that certain design choices "didn't resonate with everyone in our community." However, he said EA remains "fully committed to realizing the full potential of this game and fully committed to our battlefield fans." We've implemented a series of major updates... There's more work to be done."