The hated Battlefield 2042 Santa Claus skin might not be "real"

This story about odd cosmetics, boiled down, in 1:24 minutes.

What's the fuss?

The Battlefield 2042 drama continues as a Santa Claus skin for the game leaks on the Internet. Players aren't happy, but this anger might be misplaced (probably not though).

The situation

Despite selling well initially, Battlefield 2042 isn't having the best couple of weeks. 

• The player base on PC has dropped more than 75% as frustrated gamers grow weary of the game's unfinished state.
• Players are additionally upset that the game ditched its traditional class system - where players choose a role in battle (i.e. engineer, medic, etc.), in favour of "specialists" where players choose pre-designed named characters.

A recent update for the game has accidentally leaked an upcoming "Santa Claus" skin/costume for Boris, one of the game's numerous specialists.

• The leak ended up going viral within the community, leading to players bashing the skin for being dissimilar with the tonality of the game.
• The game's developer has responded to the backlash, stating that the skin was prepared as a potential inclusion in a Holiday update but not necessarily intended to be utilized.

Boiling it down

Battlefield 2042 takes place in a devastated world caused by political uncertainty, collapsing economies, and climate change.

• Given the seriousness of the game's core themes, it's easy to side with fans who believe Santa Claus is a mismatch.

Although Battlefield 2042's battle pass and digital item store are inactive at the time of writing, many gamers fear that the prospect of the Santa Claus skin will be the start of aggressive monetization tactics at the behest of the game publisher.

• These tactics are common with free-to-play, live-service games that include outlandish cosmetic items for players to incrementally purchase.
• Given that the game has a price tag already, paying players usually don't appreciate when a game charges more for additional small features.

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