'Battlefield 4' Server Demand Spikes After 'Battlefield 2042' Reveal

A large wave of players flooded EA’s official “Battlefield 4” servers in the U.S. West region, prompting the publisher to provide more server space to account for both new and returning “Battlefield” veterans as they wait for the release of the next game in the franchise.

The player count for “Battlefield 4” reportedly spiked after “Battlefield 2042” was revealed during E3 2021, according to one of EA’s community managers. This sudden influx of returnees caused severe server congestion in the U.S. West region in particular, resulting in extended queue times for the majority of players.

Server capacity has since been boosted to accommodate more players in the region, which should result in a smoother experience for everyone in the West Coast. However, EA will still be monitoring the situation across all servers as other regions might also require bigger server capacities if the same level of congestion is experienced.

“Battlefield 4” was originally released back in October 2013 and it’s considered to be one of the best games in the franchise despite its disastrous release. The game expanded upon “Battlefield 3’s” modern setting by adding a diverse arsenal of small arms and vehicles, as well as a larger scale of destruction with the new “levolution” mechanic that could change an entire map’s layout.

“Battlefield 2042” was seen by many of the series’ veterans as a return to form after the historic setting of the previous two “Battlefield” games. Fans were happy with “2042’s” slightly futuristic setting that saw the return of many fan-favorites like ATVs, modern weaponry and helicopters that were all absent in previous games since “BF4.”

Over the years, the gameplay of the “Battlefield” games has remained mostly intact, with changes to the games’ settings being the primary distinguishing factors. The excitement for the series’ return to a modern setting stands as a testament to “Battlefield 4’s” success despite being a much older game than either “BF1” or “BFV.”

DICE is set to release more information about “Battlefield 2042” in the upcoming EA Play event in July, where more details about the new Hazard Zone game mode and the rest of the game’s systems are scheduled to be revealed.