DICE Explains Battlefield 2042 Skins After Santa Skin Controversy

DICE reveals that special skins for Battlefield 2042 may not always be available in the main game. Also, some skins can only be used once. The company is providing the explanation after a fuss arose about a leaked Santa skin for the character Boris.

Initially, the screenshots of the holiday-inspired character and vehicle skins were released by the unofficial Battlefield Bulletin published. The official Battlefield 2042 Twitter channel quickly followed with a teaser, including the controversial Santa Claus skin. Players soon expressed their dismay on platforms like Reddit; critics feel the skins’ lighthearted tone doesn’t match the darker, more serious tone that Battlefield 2042 would portray.

In response to this explains developer DICE that the skins will not necessarily appear in the game. “Developing a live service game requires months of planning. (…) At the moment we have other priorities, so while the skins are ready, we don’t plan to use them all during the upcoming holidays.”

Additionally, DICE reveals that special skins for individual modes will be released within Battlefield 2042. The Swedish company mentions skins for the Portal mode as an example that can only be used once. It’s not clear whether the controversial Santa skin does indeed fall into this category, should be released before the main game, or will not be used at all after the disbandment.

Starting next week, Battlefield 2042 players will get weekly missions. These are in-game challenges that, upon completion, yield a skin. DICE promises to make new skins available every week that accompany the new challenges.

The Battlefield 2042 skins from the teaser will most likely be coming to the game, but it’s not clear if they’re single-use or permanent skins