Earlier this week, Xbox made the unexpected announcement that their console would be the “official console” of Battlefield 2042. This appeared to be the next step of a major partnership between EA, DICE and Microsoft. However, Xbox has now confirmed that this announcement does not mean that Battlefield 2042 will be exclusive to their console.
Is Xbox Really the “Official Console” of Battlefield 2042?
When Battlefield 2042 was first unveiled, during the Microsoft reveal event at E3, it was apparent that EA had partnered with Microsoft to some extent to market their upcoming release. Earlier this week, this partnership became clearer, when a new press release stated that the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles would be the; “official consoles of Battlefield 2042.”
The press release was somewhat vague, stating simply that this partnership would; “ensure that the next entry in the Battlefield franchise is the best one yet”. The statement did not offer any details as to how the game might utilise Xbox hardware in particular, receive extra support from Microsoft, etc. However, it appears to be one of five major partnerships which EA and DICE have entered into for Battlefield 2042. The other four partners are NVIDIA, Logitech, Polaris, and WD_BLACK. Once more, no firm details are yet available regarding what these partnerships will actually mean in practice.
Because of the vagueness of the press release, there was some confusion among fans, who took it to mean that Battlefield 2042 would now be Xbox exclusive. However, Xbox’s Senior Marketing Manager John Munsee has now said on Twitter that this will not be the case. Munsee clarified that the partnership is about; “marketing, branding, gameplay capture, etc.” rather than exclusivity. At present, Xbox being the “official console” of Battlefield 2042 seems to simply be a marketing slogan. It’s possible that some further details might be announced in the near future. It’s possible that Battlefield 2042 might come to Xbox Game Pass at launch, for example. However, this all may eventually prove to be little more than a promotional exercise.