EA/Dice have just announced the next installment of thier Battlefield franchise for PC. Titled Battlefield Heroes, the game will be completely free to download and play relying on in-game advertising (Battlefield 2142 stylee) and micro transactions. This seems to be under some sort of new branding known as "Play 4 Freeâ„¢" The most interesting thing though, has to be the move to a TF2 cartoon style for the game. Blatant rip-off or co-incidence? You decide. Being a Battlefield vet I must say I'm very excited about this one. And it's back to WWII too!

Here's the press release:

BATTLEFIELD HEROES LEADS THE WAY FOR EA'S NEW
'PLAY 4 FREE' BUSINESS MODEL

Unique Cartoon Shooter Introduces a New Way to Play Battlefield

Munich, Germany, January 21, 2008 – At the Digital, Life, Design Conference (DLD) in Munich, Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today unveiled Battlefield Heroes™, an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all new mass audience. Available for download at http://www.battlefield-heroes.com this summer, Battlefield Heroes is EA's first title that is offered completely for free, and features a built-in matchmaking system to ensure that players of equal skill are paired together for fair play. Developed by DICE in Stockholm, Battlefield Heroes is leading EA's new web-focused free to download, free to play business model which generates revenue through advertising and micro-transactions. With zero barriers to entry, now anyone can be a hero on the battlefield!

“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.”

Battlefield Heroes is a brand new game from the team behind Battlefield 1942â„¢ and Battlefield 2â„¢. 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.

“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.”

Battlefield Heroes will be released for the PC as a free download in summer 2008. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information on EA DICE, please visit http://www.dice.se or http://www.ea.com.


About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSâ„¢, EAâ„¢, EA SPORTS BIGâ„¢ and POGOâ„¢. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 1942 are trademarks or registered trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The only "screenshot" so far

Idea sounds great but if it's like any other battlefield game it'll take 3 patches and 18 months to be worth playing without bugs and crashes, But hell if it's free.

just seems to strike me as a copy of what valve did with tf2

The Free2Play franchise has been around for a very long time, mainly in Asian MMORPG games, they earned their keep by ingame advertising, and offering bonuses to players who paid small fees, which would give them better gear, faster leveling etc.

Somehow I think they've put a little less effort into this one. And judging by the graphics on the screenshot, it looks like they're trying to follow the TF2 road. But I can't really say, it might be great.

It looks pretty fun and cool. But as said above, it's cartoony style kinda seems like a rip-off from TF2.

I've read that this is going be US and Europe only for the time being.

Yes, that was reported on some Australian gaming website yesterday. Australia banned ingame ads from Battlefield 2142 and so being as Battlefield Heroes relies on ingame ads it will be a no-no for the Aussies. But hey, we live in Europe so who cares eh?

I think I'll pass that game

Don't like having advertisement in my games - its enough thats theres product placement and commercial breaks in every movie i see in the theater, on DVD and anything on television. However i wonder what the commercials will be like? Fast food, cola, games, software, hardware? Hehe

Rather wanna pay up front, and avoid banners everywhere

I remember everyone getting sniffy about it when 2142 arrived. The fuss that was made.

Tbh though you don't really notice it. Rainbow 6 Vegas uses it and actually, if you take the time to look, makes it more immersive.

Yeah, I got riled up too when I heard ads were being introduced into BF2142 but in practice they blend in seamlessly and are not even noticeable. Y'know, like the ticking of a clock.