DICE just provided a new developer insight blog on the upcoming Stadium map coming to Battlefield 2042 on April 30th. The Stadium in question comes from the part of Hourglass that was removed when that map got its rework back in Season 5. Fans really, really wanted the Stadium to return and DICE listened.
Only, the return of Stadium as its own map maybe leaves a lot to be desired. Today's developer blog shows off some of the changes the teams at EA made to rework Stadium to be an infantry-only affair. While some of the changes look good, such as the addition of more ground cover in some areas, the overall layout isn't exactly getting fans excited.
Like the map it's pulled from, Hourglass, Stadium features team spawns that are directly across from each other. A significant portion of the titular stadium is also out of bounds for some reason, including the sandy areas both inside and outside the stadium that were often used for flanking on the old Hourglass.
More than a fair number of complaints have pointing out how the spawn areas look to be larger than the entirety of the play area. The spawn areas also don't seem to include much in the way of cover, making their enormous size all the more bewildering. Those who like to camp in spawn areas with sniper rifles are probably quite excited about this though.
On the plus side, the interior of the stadium, what little of it there is, does look to be improved quite a bit. There is now a lot more cover, making it more difficult to find long sight lines. The elevators have also apparently been removed and are replaced with ziplines to improve the pacing of gameplay.
It is entirely possible that looks are deceiving in this case and there will be plenty of good gameplay with this design. We won't have long to find out how this remastered Stadium plays as it will be added to Battlefield 2042 on April 30th.
