Change.org petition requests EA refund players for what they call an "unfinished" game
'Battlefield 2042' has had a tough launch period, with the game scoring middling reviews and a dwindling player base.
The hits keep coming from EA, with a Change.org petition started by fans requesting that EA give players a full refund.
The petition reads "EA’s release of 'Battlefield 2042 was a mockery of every customer who purchased this video game for $70 (USD) due to EA’s false advertising."
"Battlefield 2042 has cost consumers millions of dollars in damages and upset thousands of customers worldwide."
The statement continues "even today, 'Battlefield 2042' has bugs that drastically change the in-game experience so much that it’s deemed an unfinished release by many community members."
"In fact, Battlefield 2042 was so poorly made that even Steam, a highly reputable provider of PC video games, allows customers to get a full refund."
"The gaming community should not tolerate this abuse and bullying from multi-billion dollar corporations who make unfinished games and false advertisements," the statement concludes.
In our review for the game in November, we noted that the game had a distinctly unfinished feeling to it.
Our review said, "As it stands, the game doesn't feel finished."
"As consumers and critics, we've grown accustomed to and outright accept the fact that games aren't finished on launch anymore, but EA charging consumers €100 for the 'Ultimate Edition' is basically an IOU to consumers telling them "the game will be great one day, honestly."
'Battlefield 2042' was developed from home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic meaning that reviewers played the game with the caveat the game was not the full 'Battlefield' experience.
Despite this, the game received middling reviews and the dropping player base has sent EA into damage control mode with the game.
In January, the publisher announced it was delaying the "road map" for the game and its upcoming content, with the first major substantial piece of new content for the game not expected until early summer.
The new content has been put on hold while the game fixes the glitches and complaints that have been plaguing the game since the November launch.
To many, this is an indictment of the "games as a service" model that was pioneered by 'Destiny'.
It is now commonplace for games to be released in an unfinished state with the intention of adding new content after the fact, but as the petition states, "Electronic Arts and DICE did not keep many promises made at launch, and Battlefield 2042 was launched as unplayable".
The Change.org petition is not legally binding, but per the description, if the petition reaches 50,000 signatures "one of the best class-action lawsuit lawyers in the country is willing to take our case against EA".
Time will tell if the petition is successful, but at the time of going to press the petition has 30,000 signatures.