http://www.theage.com.au/news/articles/battlefield-for-your-cash/2008/02/03/1201973726294.html

 

Battlefield for your cash

• Seth Schiesel
  February 4, 2008

EA is working on a free game that will earn revenue entirely from advertising, writes Seth Schiesel.

IN A major departure from its standard business model, EA is developing a new instalment in its hit Battlefield series that will be distributed on the internet as a free download.

Rather than being sold retail, the game is meant to generate revenue through advertising and small in-game transactions that allow players to spend a few dollars on new outfits, weapons and other virtual gear.

At a conference in Munich, Germany, the company announced that the new game, Battlefield Heroes, will be released for PC later this year. More broadly, EA hopes the game can help point the way for Western game publishers looking to diversify beyond appealing to hard-core players with games that can cost $US60 ($67) or more.

In 2006, the company introduced a free version of its FIFA soccer game in South Korea, the world's most fervent gaming culture. Gerhard Florin, EA's executive vice-president for publishing in the Americas and Europe, said it has signed up more than 5 million Koreans and generates more than $US1 million in monthly in-game sales.

Players can pay not only for decorative items such as shoes and jerseys but also for boosts in their players' speed, agility and accuracy. Florin said that while most users do not buy anything, a sizeable minority ends up spending $US15-20 a month.

With Battlefield Heroes, EA hopes to bring that basic system to Western players, along with increased advertising. Florin said the licensing agreements around the soccer game prevent EA from inserting in-game advertisements from companies that are not already sponsors of FIFA. By contrast, EA owns the Battlefield franchise and will be free to insert whatever advertising it wants.

The game industry is booming worldwide, largely on the strength of two trends: a demographic expansion of the gaming population beyond the longstanding young male audience and the rising popularity of online play.

With Battlefield Heroes, EA is trying to capitalise on both trends at once. Not only will Heroes be distributed online but it is also meant to provide a simpler, more accessible entertainment experience than the relatively complex earlier Battlefield games. The combat-oriented series has sold about 10million copies since the 2002 debut of the first game, Battlefield 1942.

"The existing Battlefield games are fairly deep; you have to be pretty good or you'll die pretty quick," Florin said in a telephone interview from Geneva. "Now we've toned down the difficulty, shortened each game session to 10 or 15 minutes and made the visual style more cartoony."

EA describes Battlefield Heroes as "an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all new mass audience".

A matchmaking system will ensure players of similar skill levels are paired online. The game is due for release in North America and Europe in the second half of this year.

Florin said the game was a step towards figuring out how to generate multiple revenue streams from a single intellectual property, a manoeuvre Hollywood has mastered.

 

OH MY GOD - You mean it isn't like a cartoon *NOW*????

 

Like, WTF man.

Complete waste of time and effort. EA could have spent that time and effort at least trying make another game that was actually worth playing instead.

 

Typical example of EA going for minimum effort, maximum profits.

 

EA always pushing the boundaries of gaming lol.

My brother just said something which I thought merited a post:

 

This is basically the horribly wrong love child of Counter-Strike 1.6 and TF2, taking all the [*worst*] aspects of each.

 

As if BF2 is complicated... a freaking toddler can pick up the game and TK less than most of the "pros" (aka jet whores) out there!

 

I hate you, EA... if you were a person I'd kick you in the nuts.

My brother just said something which I thought merited a post:

 

This is basically the horribly wrong love child of Counter-Strike 1.6 and TF2, taking all the [*worst*] aspects of each.

 

As if BF2 is complicated... a freaking toddler can pick up the game and TK less than most of the "pros" (aka jet whores) out there!

 

I hate you, EA... if you were a person I'd kick you in the nuts.

 

lol , good one . sounds like that guy on the phone had his finger up his arse , or he was a total retard .:animal_rooster:

Existing thread here

 

Its aimed at a younger audience apparently.

Its also supposed to be a cash making machine.

 

But most importantly, EA have stated they have no plans to release it in Australia at this point. How they can stop a download game from being released anywhere I dont know.

So i can finally costom fit myself out in something other than green? Finally!!!

 

Nibs on the pink hotpants. Hope i get in before davee!!

i dont think they've stated anything of the sort considering this post: http://battlefield2.filefront.com/news/Battlefield_Heroes_False_rumor_will_be_for_everyone_in_the_world;37131

 

what u heard was a rumour

i dont think they've stated anything of the sort considering this post: http://battlefield2.filefront.com/news/Battlefield_Heroes_False_rumor_will_be_for_everyone_in_the_world;37131

 

what u heard was a rumour

 

 

Makes sense to me! Nice find.

OK - so the rumour that it won't be released in Australia seems to be just that, a rumour. Doesn't change the fact that they are taking the franchise down the worst possible crappy path imaginable. The question I can hear some of you asking is this: why should I care?

 

The answer is, if EA adopt this type of model we can kiss goodbye the baseline platform for the next generation of PR type mods. If BF3 is based around a cartoon style gameplay it won't matter how much the PR team mod the skins and visual appearance of the game if it is all jump, jump, shoot, duck style gameplay.

 

*sigh* once again those of us who have more than one braincell are dragged down to the level of the sheeple...

well there will always be a platform for more reality based gamers to play on

aslongs as there are people want to play it

By the time BF3 comes out we may have all moved to something like ARMA 2 or OFP 2 as they seem to be built from the ground up to be more realistic.

 

Though I agree with what you are saying EA is just another evil corporation now.

I guess the problem for "us" is that the total market for hard-core gamers who want a "simulation" style fps is probably about 10% of the size of the ADHD market who want to play console style shoot-em-ups.

 

If the underlying platforms are not being developed then the mod developers won't have anything to work with in the future and that means more vanilla play for us all...

Reality/Hard games dont sell well.

 

Most people want games that are easy and pretty.

I guess the problem for "us" is that the total market for hard-core gamers who want a "simulation" style fps is probably about 10% of the size of the ADHD market who want to play console style shoot-em-ups.

 

If the underlying platforms are not being developed then the mod developers won't have anything to work with in the future and that means more vanilla play for us all...

 

I wouldn't worry too much about it man, if you consider the likes of the UT engines, Crytek which is slowly getting there, Dunia, Source... these are all insanely "moddable" and could be made to provide the same experience as currently given by BF2, if not better.

 

Reality/Hard games dont sell well.

 

Most people want games that are easy and pretty.

 

Not really... Well yeah, but hopefully not for long! The gaming demographic is starting to swing wildly, from the geeky persona who sits playing solitaire 24/7 [when he's not doing bio-chem equations or something ] to a far wider audience. With this shift, hopefully the >20s will realize that there is a huge socialization aspect to online gaming, and that it's really enjoyable to use more than 1% of your brain while gaming.

 

It'll be a long time yet, but I think there's great potential in games like PR, depending on how the market swings in the next 5 years.

Edited February 5, 200817 yr by Husker

This is a kids game guys it wont effect us or the BF2 community

By the time BF3 comes out we may have all moved to something like ARMA 2 or OFP 2 as they seem to be built from the ground up to be more realistic.

 

I agree 100% with what the Capt has to say. I was an OFP fanatic in its day, but for whatever reason never moved to ARMA. It is definitely a more team play oriented game than vanilla BF2. Who knows, maybe I'll pick it up sometime in the future.

hopefully the >20s will realize that there is a huge socialization aspect to online gaming, and that it's really enjoyable to use more than 1% of your brain while gaming.

 

I dont see it changing.......look at all the reality shows we have. ARGH!!!!!!.....the world is ruled by idiots .

I agree 100% with what the Capt has to say. I was an OFP fanatic in its day, but for whatever reason never moved to ARMA. It is definitely a more team play oriented game than vanilla BF2. Who knows, maybe I'll pick it up sometime in the future.

 

I'm waiting for ARMA2 and then I'll snap it up!

If I had to make a prediction I would say that when OFP 2 and ARMA 2 come out we will see a large section of this community switch over to one of them (whichever is better since they are VERY similar games).

 

Personally I think that would be great for the community too, give us all something fresh to sink our teeth into. PR is great and all but the BF2 engine can only stretch so far and it would be great when we inevitably move on, to have something new AND realistic from the very beginning.

EA are that idle brained they can only follow others, they cant make their own games they buy crap and they've seen that the Wii has kicked but in ASIA with its comic style gimmicky asian flavoured games and they think thats how they can recoup millions of lost dollars the wasted to reproduce Tiger Woods, Fifa's and ever other EA sports game year in year out that no one wants to pay for.. Why cause it was the same **** over and over again, so they see the Wii's success and like the brain dead corporate drones they are assimilate.

 

What I don't think they've thought about is the Wii is interactive where as EA's normal platforms like Xbox PS are not..

Edited February 5, 200817 yr by hades198

Sounds like the worst thing to happen to the franchise since the Pizza Hutters.

The average age of people purchasing consoles and games is 28 in Australia so I doubt that we'll lack in quality games aimed at a different age bracket in the future.

Sounds like the worst thing to happen to the franchise since the Pizza Hutters.

 

Gee thanks ! :disgust:

 

 

:hi: