Battlefield 2042has now been available for around two months, and many fans may have been hoping for more. While the freedom offered by the game is still providing the insane gameplay clips that theBattlefieldseries has become known for, the more groundedBattlefieldfans have been finding crucial issues withBattlefield 2042since it was fully launched in November. The ability to do crazy stunts inBattlefield 2042has done little to win over fans of the series, resulting in players flooding back to the likes ofBattlefield 1andBattlefield 5for a more traditionalBattlefieldexperience.
The poor reception ofBattlefield 2042is indicated by the scale of the toxicity ontheBattlefield 2042subreddit, which almost saw it shut down. This toxicity centered around a series of since-deleted tweets from EA global communications director Andy McNamara about the “brutal” fan expectations surroundingBattlefield 2042. While fans seem to have since moved on from these tweets, there’s a new focus of theBattlefield 2042subreddit, and it looks likely that this new focus could last for some time. Fortunately, this time around, there’s more of a lighthearted twist to theBattlefield 2042subreddits' ire, but it is nonetheless grounded in fans’ frustrations.
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Battlefield 2042’s New Webster Mackay Skin
A new mission has recently been added toBattlefield 2042that has caught the eye of theBattlefieldfanbase somewhat. While it isn’t exactly the mission itself that has proven controversial, the reward has stuck out as a point of interest. It is often the case that games will receive backlash for skins, as is the case withmicrotransactions in theCall of Dutyseries, however, this skin is completely free to owners of the game. The issue pointed out by fans is that the new Webster Mackay skin bears a striking resemblance to that of Woody fromToy Story.
This isn’t the first time fans have taken issue with acontroversialBattlefield 2042skin, as one released around Holiday time introduced Santa Claus to theBattlefieldseries. Each of these skins has clashed with the overall aesthetic ofBattlefield 2042, although perhaps more so in the case of Santa Claus.Battlefield’sfoundations are built upon that of a grizzled military shooter, so to have Santa or even a cowboy running around in multiplayer lobbies can be immersion-breaking. Fans have looked to battle against each of these skins, and as can be expected from the gaming community, they’ve turned to memes to voice their frustrations.
Battlefield 2042s Toy Story Memes
As many people have noted, one ofBattlefield 2042sspecialistslooks a lot like Woody fromToy Story, much to fans’ disappointment. The result of this has been a number ofToy Storymemes that have popped up around theBattlefieldcommunity. Some have replaced Webster Mackay’s face with that of Woody as a comment on the similarity of their chosen outfits. These memes can be seen as lighthearted observations about a character’s appearance, but they may signal something different to long-timeBattlefieldfans.
To these long-timeBattlefieldfans, these memes may be a way to signal the changes they’ve seen in the tone ofBattlefieldover the years. Historically,Battlefieldhas offered a more serious take on themilitary shooter genrethan the likes ofCall of Duty, characterized by its nameless soldiers. This has changed inBattlefield 2042with the introduction of specialists, and some of the more outlandish specialist skins further throw this into doubt.Battlefield 2042is a more cartoony shooter than its predecessors, and theToy Storymemes are a good way for fans to make a comment on this that may gain some traction.
Battlefield 2042is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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