Georgia Gamerz

EA is finally adopting the increasingly popular ad and micro-transaction supported game model. Battlefield Heroes will be totally free to play when it launches this summer. 

Electronic Arts has announced at the Digital, Life, Design Conference (DLD) in Munich its first game to be offered entirely free to download and play – EA is calling it the “Play 4 Free” business model. Battlefield Heroes comes from Stockholm-based developer DICE (Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2) and promises to offer classic Battlefield gameplay but to “an all new mass audience” in the form of a cartoon style shooter. 

Available for download at www.battlefield-heroes.com this summer, the web-based game will generate revenue through advertising and micro-transactions – a business model frequently employed by Asian online gaming firms. The game itself will attempt to be friendlier to the mass audience by featuring a built-in matchmaking system “to ensure that players of equal skill are paired together for fair play.” The game also offers “robust” character customization. 

“Online gaming garners a massive audience,” said Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA. “People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play.” 

“We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay,” added Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE. “There’s something here for all types of players — be it our core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games.” 

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