Battlefield 2042 developer DICE will not remove Russian forces from the game following Russia’s real-world invasion of Ukraine, the studio’s general manager has confirmed. Rebecka Coutaz spoke to Eurogamer recently about how DICE is changing–and not changing–Battlefield 2042 as a result of the war.
EA did remove Russian teams, including the Russian national football team, from its latest sports games. However, Russian forces will stay in Battlefield 2042, Coutaz said.
“First of all, we were here at DICE of course, we were as shocked as everybody else on the 24th of February waking up to see what was happening in Eastern Europe,” she said. “We have a lot of team members coming from Eastern Europe and we have had to deal with that, so that they feel comfortable, and we’re here and we listen and help them to take care of themselves.”
Coutaz said DICE has conducted an “audit” of Battlefield 2042 with the aim of being “as sensitive as we can” about the situation involving Russia and Ukraine. However, removing the Russian forces entirely from Battlefield 2042 may not happen. “That is very difficult to change in this entertainment game,” she said.
A spokesperson for EA told Eurogamer that the audit of Battlefield 2042 included adjustments to in-game materials for Battlefield 2042 and the marketing campaign.
“The Russian and US factions as they are represented today in Battlefield 2042 will continue in our live-service Seasons. We continue to monitor it and will adapt when necessary,” the spokesperson said.
EA has stopped selling all games and content in Russia and Belarus in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The conflict has affected developers in Ukraine, too. Development of Stalker 2 has been impacted, with GSC Gameworld delaying the game to 2023 as some of its workers take up arms against Russia.
If you’re looking how to help out, we’ve assembled a list of humanitarian organizations like the Ukrainian Red Cross and Unicef that you can donate to.
