Player counts on console matching those on PC helped to an extent in making it feel more like a larger battle you were part of. They did end up disrupting the balance chasing the Battle Royale (Warzone/PUBG) numbers though, and a correction back to smaller numbers as standard is something they’ve mentioned with the new game.
One of the really nice things they did in Battlefield 2042 was Battlefield Portal - this allowed you to mix and match older maps, rules and older weapon sets. This included maps and settings from Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3. It would be great if this was the main focus of the game rather than a bolt on that took too long post launch to develop.
The next Battlefield now has a release window of 2025/26 FY - so before April 26 and more likely/hopefully end of 2025. (Source EA financial report - hence wide window).
https://www.eurogamer.net/ea-says-next-battlefield-expected-to-release-before-april-2026
But also they may delay to avoid the GTA6 juggernaut …
https://www.eurogamer.net/with-gta-6-looming-ea-says-its-willing-to-delay-its-biggest-ever-battlefield-to-make-its-launch-all-it-needs-to-be 🙁