Fans felt EA was attempting to fleece gamers with the option to download new weaponry at a cost. A portion of the Battlefield community has launched a pre-emptive strike with promise to boycott the game.
EA claim they don’t upset gameplay balance, either way fans have distaste for this arms deal.
An EA spokesperson outlined the specifics of the complimentary weaponry:
”Battlefield: Bad Company will release five unique weapons free of charge through five different promotional programs prior to launch. EA will again make these weapons available to players free of charge after launch, in case anyone missed the pre-launch promotions. At launch, EA will release a Gold Edition of Battlefield: Bad Company which will feature an additional five new weapons.
For players who do not purchase the Gold Edition of the game, they can still buy the five weapons at a small individualized price per item. All weapons are balanced for gameplay. More weapons offer players more choices but do not create an advantage/disadvantage for players who do not opt to buy new items.”
The publishing giant says they’re listening to fan feedback; the general census from the would-be Battlefielders is to have the DLC freed from all price tags. EA’s decision to charge for additional weapons in a first person shooter may have seemed a good board room decision but fans are outraged.
Battlefield Bad Company is set for a June 23rd release, coming to both Xbox360 and PS3.