Early on in its lifecycle,Battlefield 2042devs decided to rework all the game’s launch maps, saving Hourglass for last. This entire process has been well-received, with each change improving the overall map experience onBattlefield 2042, but one part of Hourglass' rework didn’t land so well with players. When Hourglass was reworked, the dev team removed Stadium from the map, leading to some fan upset. However, realizing how near and dear the map was to the player base, the devs quickly began work on bringing Stadium back in a different manner.
Battlefield 2042season 7brought Stadium back as an Infantry-only map, similar to Redacted. There are no vehicles, it’s much smaller than other maps, and it has been described, by many, as “chaotic but fun.” Ultimately, Stadium is a symbol ofBattlefield 2042’s redemption story, an act of fan service giving players exactly what they want out of the game. Game Rant recently sat down with DICE map designer Gabriel Sanchez to talk about the removal, rework, and re-addition of Stadium for players.The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Hourglass Rework and Stadium Removal
Q: Could you discuss the key motivations in reworking Hourglass and how Stadium’s removal tied into that?
A:Yeah, sure.Reworking Hourglass was part of the initiativeto rework all maps from launch, so it was just following the same trend. It was the last map that we needed to rework, and the removal of Stadium was a decision based on production, time, and resources. Hourglass is a really, really big map, so we just realized during production that we were not going to be able to do everything. Some decisions needed to be made, and yeah, Stadium was the one to be sacrificed in this case.
Q: When did the idea of adding Stadium back as its own map come about?
A:I don’t remember 100%, but it was around the time we saw people’s sentiments about the map. We started discussing if we could actually do it, like can we bring it back and give it back to the community.
Some people were doing some tests internally with the map, some prototyping. At the same time, Reddit was asking to get the map or space back. It was like we were working in parallel, the community and ourselves. Yeah, then we just realized it would be a good idea to release it alongside Haven, at least inthe same season.
Q: Could you discuss the process of actually adding Stadium back as its own map?
A:Definitely. The space of it was there. The architecture, the structure of the stadium, and the outside of the stadium were all there, so we needed to go in and do some scouting work. We were looking at ways to improve that space and the potential that it had. Basically, we were looking for opportunities to make it better or to embrace the good things of Stadium.
On top of that, there’s the whole thing about adding new flags because there were way too few flags in the space of the stadium. Looking at the areas where those flags could fit the whole layout of, you know,Conquest, Breakthrough, and how Breakthrough would take shape within this space. All that stuff, all the assets we needed to add, art changes, the beat of the microstories we wanted to tell, the improvements to the flow, all of that. The thing I was really happy about was working on the removal of elevators for the zip lines, but yeah, all of that, new entrances for the stadium, there was a lot to consider throughout the whole process.
Before/After
Battlefield 2042’s Changes to Stadium
Q: Could you talk a little bit about those art changes? What was the goal with them?
A:I focus more on the gameplay side, but yeah, Art is important for supporting design. In this case, there were a few key changes that we made. For example, there’s the lighting inside of the stadium. I don’t know if you remember how Stadium looked before, but it didn’t have these different colors on the different floors. Something Art did was create a visual language within the floors themselves, so people could then more easily identify where they were.
Q: When it comes to the lighting, was there any specific player feedback that went into that, or was it just more to make it visually appealing?
A: Well, visibility is always important, but not necessarily player feedback, because we were doing all this work before the map was released, right? We didn’t get community feedback, per se, but there was a lot of internal feedback about people thinking the stadium was too dark. That whole part I said about it being hard to orient yourself inside the stadium came from this, so we were able to brighten the stadium a little bit and use that color language.
Q: How early on in the redesign process was it decided that elevators should be replaced with zip lines, and what do you think that adds to the map?
A:Very early. We’ve had some issues with elevators in Battlefield 2042. I don’t know if you remember where, on vanilla Kaleidoscope, there was a flag on top of the skyscraper, and it was really hard to get that flag because people were camping in the elevators. As soon as I looked at the elevators in Stadium, I was like, “Nope. Let’s not do that.”
It was also good because we had already tested removing elevators and putting in zip lines, I think, onthe Orbital rework. It worked there, so it was easy enough to get that inspiration and say, “Okay, let’s go for the same here and just speed up the process.” It basically improved the entire vertical flow in the stadium, so instead of just relying on stairs, which could get really chokey, you have this super quick way of moving up and down thanks to the zip lines.
Q: Which of Stadium’s new capture points was the most fun to design?
A:That’s a good question. There are two on the outside, the entrance one and in the park. The park flag, the one with the truck, was the most fun because it was a bit of a challenge. It is not your typical interior flag like the other ones in the stadium, where you can see easily. From a level design perspective, those flags are easier to control where people are coming from this point or that point and you think about the flanking opportunities. This one, it was open, and we needed to figure out some ways of putting cover, especially around the stairs. We didn’t really want to fill it up with military assets either, instead embracing the architect of the space and using that there as well. It was maybe the most challenging one, but it was the most fun to work on too, for sure.
Q: The map reworks always seem to add more cover. Is that intentional in these redesigns or is it just a surprise, recurring theme?
A:That was planned from the beginning when we started with the reworks. We wanted to improve the infantry experience based on feedback we got from the community, which involved things like cover and stuff like that. It was 100% an intended design for all of these reworks.
Q: As a whole, what do you think Stadium is really adding to that infantry experience now?
A:Well, Stadium is the second Infantry-only map, right? It’s Redacted and Stadium, so it’s a second option for players who want someMetro-esque experience or Locker-esque experience. At the same time, what I believe sets Redacted and Stadium apart is the outside spaces, as opposed to the very tight experience of Redacted. That’s the biggest difference, but I would definitely say that, when you look at theBattlefield 2042 map roster, you can put these two levels in that niche box of people who want to have a chaotic Infantry-only experience.
Q: You mentioned the outside element was the biggest difference between Stadium and Redacted, but how did the design process of this rework and Redacted differ?
A:Well, Redacted was a brand new map, right? We started from scratch with Redacted, while Stadium was a rework. In the case of Stadium, the tools are already there, and it’s a matter of the level team, the designer (myself), and the artists figuring out what can be improved. Having that foundation and bringing a little bit more love to it helped bring it up to the quality of what we wanted. It’s completely different when starting from scratch where it’s like “the sky’s the limit”- kind of-as a designer. We like restrictions and working within a frame because then your creativity tries to find unique solutions. In the case of Redacted, it’s more flexible in that sense.
Q: What was the most difficult part of turning Stadium into a standalone map?
A:Probably finding the locations of the flag and the layout of the map for Conquest and Breakthrough. It was definitely challenging in those modes because of the shape of the stadium, almost like a banana, and then you have the outside making a triangle. It’s an unconventional layout for a Battlefield map, I would say.Especially on Breakthrough, that was a bit of a challenge when we needed to look at how people can go in and out, all the spaces where people can spawn, and the areas where they can be safe, all that stuff. That was probably the most challenging, at least on the design side.
Q: What would you say about the community response to Stadium so far? Are you happy with how it’s being received?
A:Yeah, I’m usually more on the “Okay, we’ll see how this goes” end, but somewhere, very deep inside, there’s this very positive voice in me saying we’ve done a good job. People seem to be having a lot of fun. I’ve been watching YouTube and reading some posts on Reddit and stuff. They usually call it a chaotic but fun experience, which is yeah, we knew it was going to be like that. It’s why we wanted to bring it back, right? It’s overall positive, and I’m really happy to see that.
Q: With Battlefield 2042’s seasons coming to an end and this new addition of Stadium, what would you say to players now as they continue to dive into the game?
A:I would probably say thank you for sticking with us, and thank you for being out there and playing our game. We’re making it for them, so definitely that, and have fun guys. You know. Play the objective. I’m not going to add the magic word in there, but just play the objective. We’re thankful for the support, for the community being vocal, for the feedback, and for sticking with us, for sure.
[END]
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