Battlefield 2042 Subreddit Lambasted for Toxicity

Battlefield global community manager Adam Freeman has said that DICE is no longer engaging with Battlefield 2042‘s subreddit because of toxicity plaguing the environment. As spotted by MP1st, Freeman wrote in a series of tweets that DICE won’t stop perusing Reddit for feedback and constructive criticism, but its developers no longer feel comfortable engaging with the website’s users. Freeman has said that he’s open to communicating on Twitter instead, presumably because the platform comes with handy-dandy features to weed out abusive users.

Battlefield 2042 subreddit was almost locked down

Gaming subreddits have replaced video game forums as a platform to gather feedback and engage with players. Many development studios include Reddit in their communication strategies so this is a significant move on DICE’s part. In early January, Battlefield 2042’s players became irate over the studio’s silence during the holiday period, and the game’s subreddit became so hostile that its moderators threatened to lock it down indefinitely.

“There are constructive thoughts on the game shared, and fair expressions of how the game today makes folks feel but the environment isn’t constructive,” Freeman wrote. “That’s not to say that hub of community isn’t listened to or read, it always is and forever will be. There’s wisdom in crowds (even if the crowd itself is toxic at its core). I’m not engaged on Reddit anymore – there’s no value in pretending it’s a constructive environment.”

Freeman reassured players that DICE understands their frustration and acknowledges Battlefield 2042’s troubled state, but death threats is where developers draw the line.

The suggestion that we ignore feedback is unfair. What’s been stated is that I won’t engage with it.

There are constructive thoughts on the game shared, and fair expressions of how the game today makes folks feel

But the environment isn’t constructive.https://t.co/9g6jz5MJeo

— Freeman (@PartWelsh) February 14, 2022