January 22, 2008
EA’s first free game is new battlefield
The growing interest of traditional video game publishers in casual games looks like creating new hybrid formats and experimental business models.
Electronic Arts has announced its first completely free title, Battlefield Heroes, available for download this summer.
It looks like a dumbed-down cartoon-like version of its Battlefield 1942 PC game, but still seems far more sophisticated than a typical casual game such as Texas Hold ‘Em or Bejeweled.
There will also be elements of the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre, dominated by World of Warcraft. EA says players will be able to build their characters in an ever-expanding online world, paying a few dollars in micro-transactions for extra weapons and equipment. In-game advertising is also planned.
The success of Microsoft’s Xbox Live service has revealed there is money to be made from smaller-scale games, available for download there for less than $10.
EA is reinventing and repurposing an existing fading franchise. If it is successful, expect to see more of EA’s original IP appearing in a casualised form, aimed at less-than-hard-core gamers.
I wouldn’t describe the Battlefield franchise as “fading”. The instalment released in 2007, “Battlefield 2142″, still got positive reviews, and an average score of 80% at GameRankings. Admittedly this is lower than its predecessors, but it’s a long way to go before it’s fading - and the upcoming sequels suggest the same thing.
More interestingly, Battlefield 2142 also incorporated in-game advertising, on virtual billboards in the city environment. This tech was provided by IGA Worldwide, and is also used in games including SWAT 4 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. The ads are updated over the net, and are a mix of paid sponsorship, in-game or player-generated content, and advertising for and by EA.
These ads were largely loathed in the gaming world, because the games weren’t any cheaper as a result. Switching to games powered solely by micropayments and ads will be received more favourably, I’m sure!
Posted by: Gamer | January 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 am | Report this commentIt looks interesting a new free game.
Posted by: Video Conference | January 23rd, 2008 at 6:38 am | Report this comment