Battlefield 2042's latest update has, possibly inadvertently, revealed some upcoming skins for the game – and many players don't seem pleased that 'Father Winter' is coming to town.
Battlefield 2042's Update #3 adds weekly missions, improvements to menu UI, and over 150 gameplay fixes – but it also seems to include a range of new cosmetics. As shown in the tweet below, some of the Specialist skins included are a little outside of Battlefield's more serious norm, including a Father Winter skin for Boris that sees him sporting a Santa-like cloak and a white beard.
Preview of the upcoming weekly mission rewards! 👀
— Battlefield Bulletin (@BFBulletin) December 2, 2021
The #Battlefield2042 pre-season will last at least 8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/jRptlTrcD1
At time of writing the skins have been removed from public view having seemingly been revealed too early, but the response to the Father Winter skin in particular has already been vociferous from many players, who see it as a step too far outside of Battlefield's style.
On Reddit, TheHuscarl wrote, "I have never seen such a strange juxtaposition in tone built into a game. It's really very odd, I would love to have seen the design discussions that went into this."
On Twitter, DogInSuit wrote, "How is the mood supposed to be fun and lightheartedness when the intro tried pushing a failed-state, billions of non-pats, and the devestating effects of climate change? If they wanted to make a game with funny, kid-catered skins - it shouldn’t have been battlefield."
Many have compared the approach to Fortnite and other games-as-service, which regularly introduce wacky cosmetics, something that much of the fanbase seems to have hoped wouldn't cross over into Battlefield's latest outing.
There are of course two sides to the story, with other players saying that players not in favour of unrealistic skins should simply not apply them. On Reddit, ozner55 wrote, "The game overall just needs a little more content. Even if it’s a goofy Christmas thing, I’m totally fine with that. Having new stuff to unlock is simply positive."
However, a common request following the reveal has been an option to disable other players' goofy skins, both for aesthetic reasons, and because changes to character silhouettes can throw off how best to respond to seeing certain enemy characters. "PLEASE make it so I can disable visibility of custom skins," wrote Revenant333 on Twitter. "It’s Okay, sell them, but let ME decide if I want to see them. Please."
It remains to be seen if this is a one-off addition for Christmas, or if DICE has plans to release more outlandish skins over time – but the initial reaction is likely more divisive than the developer would have hoped for.
It's not been an easy launch overall for Battlefield 2042, with launch day issues and game changes attracting enough criticism to make it one of Steam's worst-reviewed games just a few weeks after launch.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
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