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EA's Play4Free becomes Origin Free to Play
EA has announced that it's consolidating its free-to-play Play4Free brand into Origin. Henceforth, all Play4Free titles, which include the likes of Battlefield Heroes, Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances and others, will exist under the umbrella of Origin Free to Play. According to EA, the only thing that will be different for existing players is that the Play4Free.com URL will officially change to Origin.com/free. Later this week, Play4Free.com will automatically redirect users to the new URL.The reason for the move? "Convenience for players," says Play4Free vice president Sean Decker, as "Origin now becomes your single destination for paid downloadable PC games and free-to-play games alike." Thus far, the available games seem unchanged, though we wouldn't be surprised to see future EA free-to-play games requiring the Origin client to play. Either way, the move isn't too surprising, given EA's continued push to expand its Origin service.
Battlefield Heroes gets new map, weapons with special Halloween content
EA's free-to-play Battlefield Heroes shooter is going trick-or-treating with a new set of Halloween content, as seen in the trailer above and the gallery below. The holiday update will bring a brand new map called the Perilous Port, as well as new Machete weapons, and a few different spooky items and outfits to wear. There are also some new rewards to earn: Winning 10 games on the new map on ranked servers will earn you a faction-specific Halloween t-shirt, and there are also Trick or Treat-themed supply drops, with random chances to win other great stuff. Additionally, all of the other Halloween content from the game's previous years is back online as well, so jump on in and have yourself a frighteningly fun time.%Gallery-168794%
EA now has 25 million registered Play4Free accounts worldwide
EA's move into the freemium market appears to be working, with the company boasting yesterday that it now has a total of 25 million registered players across all Play4Free titles. Of course, that number is far less impressive if those people aren't actively playing, but that hasn't stopped EA from patting itself on the back and calling the number a "remarkable achievement." For those keeping score at home, that's 25 million registered players combined in Battlefield Heroes, Need for Speed World, Battlefield Play4Free, Dragon Age Legends, Battleforge and Lord of Ultima. Battlefield Heroes and Need for Speed World are the top dogs, each with a registered base of players exceeding ten million.The remaining five million comes from the total players registered in the other four games. "Developing a community of 25 million players is a remarkable achievement. It is a testament to the explosive growth of the free-to-play market and a reflection of EA's commitment to spearheading the digital transformation," said Play4Free VP Sean Decker in the press release. As a thanks to the community for taking time to at least register for its games, EA is offering some free in-game bux for its two heavy hitters: entering promo code EQ9M-TYYT-TXR3-5GU3 will net players 300 Battlefunds in Battlefield Heroes, while promo code EWPD-3KGA-VBVF-9HYS is good for 750 SpeedBoost in Need for Speed World. Codes expire on January 17, 2012 at 12:00 AM GMT.
Battlefield Heroes adding content every day up until Christmas
EA is taking a cue from those advent calendars, but instead of giving us a piece of scrumptious milk chocolate every day, they're adding content to Battlefield Heroes on the daily leading up to Christmas. Today, it's a pair of new battle rifles: the M16-203 and AK74-30. Outside of guns, there also promised events, additional content and more. Sorry, no word on the chocolate thing. Frankly, if we don't get at least one Hershey Kiss in the mail this month, we're going to boycott the game forever, in a totally rational and real way. If there's one thing we don't joke about here, it's seasonal chocolates.
Battlefield Heroes captures Capture the Flag today
There are few things in gaming more satisfying then the planting of an enemy's flag in a friendly home base. If you've been turned off of Battlefield Heroes' lack of abductable pennants, you should give the game a second look: Capture the Flag mode is now available.
Battlefield Heroes go Savage in new content pack
Thoughts we had while watching this Battlefield Heroes trailer for the new Savage Heroes content pack coming out this summer: Whoa, EA is really changing around the ol' Battlefield formula with this one, eh? Axes? "Cold North"? Is it possible they're turning the free-to-play persistent online shooter into a free-to-play hack-and-slash deathmatch? That would be pretty rad! Oh, no wait. It's actually some new savage-styled skins and costumes for the Battlefield Heroes fighters. Oh well -- that's pretty rad, too. As the trailer says, the new pack is available in the game's online store right now.
Battlefield Heroes celebrates two years with new map, free content
If you give it to them for free, they will come -- at least, we think that's how it works. As a thanks to those who've stuck around for two years (through thick and thin) and for reaching a milestone of eight million players, Battlefield Heroes is adding the popular franchise map Wake Island later this month. It's part of a summer promotion that extends through the next month or so. Aside from the new map, EA is also giving away two free Party Packs to players who log in between now and July 7 at 11:59pm PT. Each pack includes 77 Battlefunds, 25 Festive Flares, a permanent Party Hat exclusive to this promotion and a seven day rental to dress your hero in a Birthday Suit. We, uh, hope that isn't what we think it is. To snag your free Party Packs, simply log in to the Battlefield Heroes website, go through the My Stuff tab and select Rewards. Finally, there are two new Extraordinary Hero item sets you can pick up, which not only give you a futuristic look, but also super powers such as a super jump and a speed boost. See both Metallo and Captain Royal in action above, whose super powers could be yours for a nominal fee. If only we could buy super powers in real life like that!
Before disbanding, LulzSec releases Battlefield Heroes data
The sextet of hackers known as "Lulz Security" may be done with their 50-day reign of semi-terror, but that doesn't mean the ramifications of their actions are over. In a final file released alongside yesterday's statement, the group released info from approximately 550,000 Battlefield Heroes beta user accounts (according to Rock, Paper, Shotgun) as well as the info from roughly 50,000 "random gaming forum" users. EA tells Eurogamer that the info was from "an early beta version" of the game, and "no emails, account history, credit card numbers or payment methods" were obtained. Apparently the breach took down BF Heroes servers over the weekend, though EA also explained that it has recovered the free-to-play FPS to operational status. And though it's possible that some of the group's handiwork has yet to be discovered, we're hopeful that this is the last story of a breach we'll be writing after the hacking group's disbandment.
ngmoco to launch Swedish branch with former EA Easy boss Ben Cousins
When Ben Cousins left EA Easy as head of the studio earlier this year, he didn't leave a forwarding address. Cousins and his new employer revealed today his position as head of newly formed ngmoco Sweden, where he'll be leading the studio in the development of "freemium games for mobile platforms like iOS/Android" (according to Cousins' Twitter feed). His last major project with EA was Battlefield Play 4 Free. The official PR from ngmoco puts the Swedish branch in a position of support for parent company DeNA's "Mobage" social gaming platforms. And the new studios puts Cousins in a position to hire up colleagues in a part of the world ripe for the picking -- Sweden. Don't be surprised if you see some high profile ex-DICE staffers showing up at ngmoco's new Swedish office over the next few months, as we totally warned you. [Image credit: OfficialGDC]
Benjamin Cousins leaves EA ahead of Play4Free launch
Today marks the beginning of the closed beta testing process for Battlefield Play4Free (with an open beta set to kick off April 4) -- making the announcement of EA Easy boss Ben Cousins' departure all the more perplexing. Cousins recently announced his exit from the developer on Twitter, saying he's "very proud of what I've achieved in the last 4 years." He didn't say what his next job opportunity is, only teasing, "soon as I can, I let everyone know." Cousins was instrumental in the development of EA's recent salvo of free-to-play titles like Battlefield Heroes, Lord of Ultima and BattleForge, which actually made the transition from a retail release to an F2P title. We wish Cousins the best of luck at whatever his new home may be, and hope that he continues to make things cost zero money. You're doing the Lord's work, Ben.
Battlefield Heroes bonuses are brought to you by the letters E, A, and the number 7
Battlefield Heroes, EA's free-to-play shooter, appears to be a success, with the company announcing that 7 million people have felt free to play the game so far. To celebrate those 7 million registered users, EA is offering a bunch of bonuses to players, all themed with the number 7. For seven days, today through March 15, Heroes players can download a free pack containing 77 bandages, 77 Battlefunds, and 77 wrenches. You can then reinvest those Battlefunds (and, uh, 700 more) into a special weeklong store deal containing seven-day boosts for VP, XP, and Sarge's stamina, along with 777 tonics. This deal doesn't just reward current players, it provides subtle motivation for those players to bring more in. Don't you want those 10-million-player bonuses?
Battlefield Heroes is far from 'practically ruined,' GM Ben Cousins says
Today's GDC panel on Battlefield Heroes had general manager Ben Cousins rectifying the misconceptions about his studio's first free-to-play Battlefield game being "practically ruined." Cousins' talk centered around the allegations made by press (originating with his game's own forumgoers) that paid weapons were introduced that allegedly unbalanced the game in favor of players willing to shell out cash. Rather than panicking and reacting directly to the loudest voices -- and perhaps some overly reactionary press -- Easy Studio instead applied math. The develoeprs noticed that, despite all the negative attention, user numbers weren't dropping. Furthermore, they took the information of their forum members and discovered that, while the average BFH player would spend around 25 cents per month, forum members were spending -- on average -- about $22 (dollars!) per month. Moreover, the actively complaining population only made up about 2 percent of the overall player base. What Cousins' team discovered as a result is that most folks playing the game really didn't care about the introduction of the paid weapons. Cousins likened it to fancy sports equipment -- while it might impart a slight advantage to folks willing to pay, the disparity was made up for by the game's mechanics. User numbers remained consistent and, eventually, the complaints subsided. Having established what he considers to be this working business model in Heroes, Cousins is confident in East Studio's next effort, Battlefield Play4Free.
Dead Space 2 characters now dismembering Battlefield Heroes characters
Battlefield Heroes has always had a pretty fun, lighthearted theme powering its neverending conflict -- so, of course, a natural fit for that universe would be outfits from the decidedly heavyhearted Dead Space 2 universe. Check out the trailer below to watch these distinct worlds collide.
Battlefield Play4Free engages hostiles in Spring 2011
Following a tease earlier this week, EA has announced Battlefield Play4Free this morning, a freemium title that will support 32-player online warfare. The game will activate in the spring of 2011 but, if you just can't wait, you can enlist early and test out the closed beta beginning November 30. Aesthetically -- and, apparently, in tone -- BP4F appears to be a departure from EA's other freemium warfare title, Battlefield Heroes, which has a cartoony, colorful nature (though the two games will share a single "battlefunds" wallet, confirms Ben Cousins of developer Easy, an EA Games studio). Easy's Battlefield Play4Free will combine maps from Battlefield 2 with the classes and weapons found in the hit (and neglected) Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Players can drive 16 different vehicles, including the F35 VTOL (vertical take-off landing) jet fighter -- which certainly isn't found in BFBC2. Players will progress through the game to learn skills or, as you've probably already guessed, drop some f'real bling to pimp out their soldier. %Gallery-106828%
Battlefield Heroes become adorable Tier 1 Operators with Medal of Honor outfits
Playing military dress up doesn't get any cuter than Battlefield Heroes. Of course, we never expected to see the beard-clad, rough and tough Tier 1 Operators from Medal of Honor show up in EA's free-to-play FPS, but here they are. Outfits for Tier 1 Elites and Specialists are already available, with Operatives and Captains becoming available in "early October." At that time, Battlefield Heroes will also be adding a new map in "Alpine Assault," liberally peppered with the cadre of new weapons (six total). Head past the break for a video of the new content in action.
Battlefield Heroes celebrates first birthday with free in-game items
Wow, has it already been a year since DICE's freemium version of its popular Battlefield FPS series, Battlefield Heroes, launched on the PC? Sure enough, that's the case and EA is looking to celebrate by hooking up players with a free $5 voucher for use in-game, which can be redeemed here to unlock a two-day XP boost, a two-day VP boost and 25 bandages. You'll have to act fast, as the code below is only valid until tomorrow: 49TP-ZJB7-NVTR-P8AE Other than free in-game items, EA also offers some stats on the first year of the game. Turns out, more than 4.8 million players have registered for play and the community as a whole has managed to commit 1.2 billion heinous murders in a total of 29 million hours of gameplay -- equal to 3,724 years, you monsters.
Battlefield Heroes deploys a double XP weekend
From today through 5:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 23, Battlefield Heroes players can input the following code to earn double the XP they normally would for playing: 5RH4-G9WR-MVV2-Q4E7. Just enter the code on this page, then it's off to the races -- er, the battlefield, rather. You've got to give it up to DICE, who has managed to keep its free-to-play shooter fresh through steady content updates -- the latest of which includes a new map and mode centered around jetpacks. And that, folks, is how you enlist over three million players. [Via Big Download]
Battlefield Heroes gets jetpacks, new map and new game mode
DICE's freemium FPS, Battlefield Heroes, has had its finger on the pulse of what's hip for quite some time now. It offered content for sad MJ fans when the King of Pop passed away and even implemented some supernatural content when that New Moon flick came out. Then there was the latest stuff celebrating the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. DICE clearly hasn't forgotten about its baby and now, for its three million and growing userbase, it's offering a trio of new goodies, headlined by the new in vogue multiplayer item: jetpacks. Players will use the jetpacks on a map called Midnight Mayhem, which sports a brand-new game mode called V2 Vengeance -- players must battle to capture and control a giant rocket. The content is available right now, so head on over to the Battlefield Heroes site if you want to throw down.
EA launches free-to-play Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, stands by its man
Electronic Arts has officially launched Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, its free-to-play version of the popular golf game. Players can sign in with an EA persona and play a limited number of featured courses for free (St. Andrews and Sheshan are the two currently available), while earning XP and money for the in-game Pro Shop. Alternatively, for you fat cats out there, packages of points are also available for $10, $20, and $40 that can be spent on in-game items or rounds of golf at locked courses. The game also offers group tournaments and friend-to-friend messaging -- essentially, it's very much EA's attempt to bring the successful Battlefield Heroes model to a new audience. In an interview with CNBC today, Peter Moore made it clear that they're behind both star Tiger Woods and this game. The free-to-play title is designed to pull in an audience of "40-year golfers, mostly male," Moore said, adding that "it's our job to upsell them." If EA Sports can do that as well as the Battlefield Heroes team has, then we may see even more of these free-to-play online titles from the company.
Battlefield Heroes gets decked out in Bad Company 2 gear
When EA DICE decided to release some downloadable armaments in the original Battlefield: Bad Company, it proved to be a fairly unpopular decision. However, the recently found a way to outfox the gaming community, releasing Bad Company 2 DLC without drawing our ire. How did the studio accomplish such a feat? Easy -- it just released the DLC in a completely different game. Battlefield Heroes recently received a large push of content inspired by Bad Company, including six modern weapons and the outfits of George Haggard and Kirilenko. Best of all, if you log onto Heroes while using an account that's also linked to Bad Company 2, you'll receive the Battlefunds required to purchase the new gear. Check out the new equipment in the trailer posted after the jump. [Thanks Graeme!]
