EA has officially announced Battlefield Heroes, the first title in the company's new Play 4 Free initiative which will offer downloadable PC titles - yes - for free. They're ad-supported of course, but will also feature micro-transactions (possibly new characters, weapons, etc) - a business model that's well established in Korea where titles like Kart Rider are free to download, making their (huge piles of) cash out of buyable extra items.
And this is no ordinary Battlefield title. As the press release makes clear (if you can make it through the grammatically nightmarish first line):
It's fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.
Developer EA DICE is promising to keep updating the game with new content, much of the amends based on player feedback. Clearly the company has been inspired, not only by the rise of PC casual gaming communities (the multiplayer component features a matchmaking service that ensures equally skilled, or unskilled players get to meet each otehr), but also Wii, Xbox Live Arcade and the coming LittleBigPlanet. Update: plus, as PhilWal comments below Team Fortress surely also played a part.
It'll be interesting to see if more publishers start experimenting with this sort of thing, getting small teams to work on cheaper projects during downtimes. In the past, developers have talked about doing this sort of thing with mobile games and XBLA/PlayStation Store titles, but it's rarely transpired. Maybe studios will feel they can get away with a less polished product if they're not charging upfront - and get the chance to refine the project in response to player feedback
And this is no ordinary Battlefield title. As the press release makes clear (if you can make it through the grammatically nightmarish first line):
It's fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.
Developer EA DICE is promising to keep updating the game with new content, much of the amends based on player feedback. Clearly the company has been inspired, not only by the rise of PC casual gaming communities (the multiplayer component features a matchmaking service that ensures equally skilled, or unskilled players get to meet each otehr), but also Wii, Xbox Live Arcade and the coming LittleBigPlanet. Update: plus, as PhilWal comments below Team Fortress surely also played a part.
It'll be interesting to see if more publishers start experimenting with this sort of thing, getting small teams to work on cheaper projects during downtimes. In the past, developers have talked about doing this sort of thing with mobile games and XBLA/PlayStation Store titles, but it's rarely transpired. Maybe studios will feel they can get away with a less polished product if they're not charging upfront - and get the chance to refine the project in response to player feedback
By Keith Stuart
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