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Battlefield 1943 and Bad Company 2: Onslaught canceled on PC
Battlefield 1943 for PC is not going to happen. Posting on the official Battlefield blog, Karl Magnus Troedsson, general manager of DICE, confirmed that both 1943 and Onslaught, a co-op add-on for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, have been "officially canceled." He states that the team is focusing all energy on Battlefield 3 in order to make it "the best Battlefield game ever" and "the biggest launch in DICE's history." (Good luck getting into a game during the first three days!) Battlefield 1943's delayed trek to PC had become hopeless in recent months, though company reps believed it was still set to deploy at some point when we followed up last summer. The downloadable experiment has been a resounding success on consoles, netting $16 million for Electronic Arts.
Battlefield 1943 has earned EA $16 million
We've known for quite some time that Electronic Arts' Battlefield 1943 "experiment" was successful, selling over a million units on Xbox Live alone, but now CFO Eric Brown has revealed some numbers on the game's development cost and revenue. The EA exec stated at UBS's 39th Annual Media and Communications Conference that the game cost "single-digit millions" to create and netted (after Sony and Microsoft took their cuts) a healthy $16 million for the publisher. Brown explained that EA expects digitally distributed product to make up 20 percent of the company's revenue this fiscal year. Beyond Battlefield, Brown also noted significant revenue from FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, along with full-game PC downloads. With BF:1943's success, it'll be interesting to see how the Battlefield: BFBC2 Vietnam expansion experiment works out. Boiled down, Vietnam is essentially the same downloadable game concept as 1943, but called a "multiplayer expansion" that requires a copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to play.
Battlefield 1943 for PC remains on track, still no release date
Still waiting for your PC version of Battlefield 1943? Okay, first, we feel obliged to tell you that you should probably check out Battlefield: Bad Company 2. But second, you might want to know that EA is apparently issuing refunds for pre-orders of the title to folks who reserved the PC release. VG247 asked EA about said refunds, and was told, "All pre-orders can be canceled with refund at any time and we do not have any further information at this time about a release date for the PC version of Battlefield 1943." We asked an EA rep for clarification this afternoon and were told that pre-orders for any game can be refunded at any time -- furthermore, the rep specifically pointed out "Battlefield 1943 is not canceled, but we don't have any news about a release date at this time." Last we heard, the game was on track for release sometime this year and the game's producer even assured us that the PC version was still in the cards as recently as last March. So, while unfulfilled PC fans eagerly awaiting the game's release may ask for their pre-order money back, it also appears that whatever interest EA earned on your money since last October when pre-orders opened will remain in the publisher's hands. How nice of them! Perhaps it'll be used to support the game with DLC? Yeah, we're not holding our breath either.
Battlefield 1943 recruits one million on Xbox Live
We're glad you like Battlefield 1943 so much ... because that's all you're going to get from it. Even though DICE's XBLA multiplayer shooter has reached one million downloads on Xbox Live this week, producer Gordon Van Dyke told us at PAX that there really aren't any plans for DLC. It's extra surprising when you consider that it's also the fastest rise to one million downloads for any Xbox Live Arcade game in existence, releasing back in July 2009. We wonder how many people waited until it was $10 to buy?
No further plans for Battlefield 1943, 'another type of 1943' possible in future
Just exhale if you've been holding your breath for any Battlefield 1943 DLC, because it seriously sounds like the sun has set on the Pacific war. Speaking with DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke at PAX East, we asked if he could finally end the hopes and dreams that its successful downloadable experiment would receive more content. He informed us, "There's no plans. There's no plans for DLC." However, the PC version is still planned, and there is a patch incoming to address console issues, including mic problems on PS3. Van Dyke told us that Battlefield 1943 was a cool way to express a classic game like Battlefield 1942 using the company's Frostbite engine. He said that it opened up a lot of eyes to showing off what an older Battlefield game could be like with the new engine. When asked to elaborate if other classic Battlefield games would receive a reimagined bite-sized release he said, "I can't. There's no specific plans. The success of [1943] has given it an existence within our lineup, in our thoughts. You could possibly see another type of 1943 in the future. But it doesn't mean it's going to be based on 1942." When pressed, he continued, "Seriously, all options are open. We haven't closed our mind off to anything and we haven't locked down that we'll do anything specific." %Gallery-63331%
GDC: EA DICE on building a bite-sized Battlefield
EA DICE has been a fairly prolific developer during the current console generation, churning out both a high-profile title based on original IP (Mirror's Edge), as well as ones based on established franchises like Battlefield. EA was searching for a way to capitalize on the downtime between these blockbuster releases -- a game which would be relatively quick and painless to create, while still standing up to the quality standards set by their previous releases. Thus, the idea for Battlefield 1943 was born. Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu explained the studio's unique design philosophy while making the game, which boiled down to "make the game as long as resources last." They maximized the amount of content they produced under this strategy by settling on the somewhat smaller scope of the game early, and focusing on recreating the Battlefield experience to adhere to that scope. Some decisions made under this philosophy include making ammunition and health auto-regenerate, cutting down on tiresome resource runs back to your home base. This decision led to others, including the removal of the medic and engineer classes. It also let them focus on perfecting a handful of maps and gametypes, which, while iterated from previous installments in the franchise, also saw major adjustments in 1943. The result was a project developed by 15 series veterans at once, at one-tenth of the cost of a full DICE game, which broke day one, week one and month one downloadable sales records. It's no surprise that Liu expressed interest in developing more "games of this size and scope" -- when handled correctly, it sounds like a miniature entry in a major franchise can be quite the profitable cash cow. %Gallery-63331%
Battlefield 1943, Bad Company 2 system specs revealed
Ten-hut, soldiers! During wartime, the government is granted special powers and as such the Army is going to need to commandeer your personal computers. Before we send our best and brightest out into battle, we'll need to train them in advanced maneuvers via upcoming PC games Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Before you start packing up your 'puters, know the government has issued its guidelines for computer operations (via Shacknews). Report past the break to see if your computer meets these stringent requirements.
EA opens pre-orders for Battlefield 1943 PC
The official Battlefield 1943 Twitter account has tw@ted that the EA Store is ready to take pre-orders for the PC version of the game. The three-map (four, if you count the aerial-centric Coral Sea) battle fiesta is expected sometime in 2010, along with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (and possibly Battlefield 3). It'll certainly be interesting to see if the PC FPS demographic embraces the more casual-oriented Battlefield 1943 in the droves that brought the console version to its knees -- at this point, we'd be happy if the development of the PC version simply brought new maps for all. [Via VG24/7] %Gallery-63331%
PAX 2009: Battlefield 1943 producer talks lack of DLC
We spoke with Battlefield 1943 producer Gordon Van Dyke at PAX and asked him why there hasn't been any DLC at all for the game so popular it crashed servers and broke sales records. The main reason? DICE is busy. Apparently it's working so hard on the next two Battlefield games that it doesn't have time to show BF1943 any extra love at all, which is a bit perplexing given the popularity of the title. Gordon told us, "We don't have any immediate plans right now, but it's not ruled out. There's a lot of pressure on the team for Battlefield 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ... we don't want to stretch things too thin and and make something that's not up to quality. Battlefield 1943 is a huge game with a lot that we can pull from. We just want to make sure we keep our options open, and make sure that the decision we land on is what's best for everyone. We don't want to be that company that pushes out DLC just for DLC's sake." Fair enough, but we'd still like to see more maps and modes come to Battlefield 1943 like ... yesterday. Hey, hire some interns already!
Battlefield 1943 players upset over lack of Irish identification [Update]
Update: According to an update on SeenIt.co.uk, the gamer who argued for Irish distinction in his Battlefield 1943 profile has been contacted by EA support and was told, "It looks as though the issue you have submitted is more complex than it seemed initially." Irish history, complex? Understatement! Hopefully this means all Irish gamers will be able to fly the colors they desire someday soon. Original Story: Battlefield 1943 players out of Northern Ireland are surprised -- and angry -- that the game's official site fails to display the country's flag on their profile pages. Profiles for gamers in the North are stamped with the good ol' Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and labels North Irish players as located in Great Britain. Some of you may cry, "So what?" Well, it's a pride thing -- and it's a law. "If you live in Northern Ireland EA won't allow you to identify yourself as 'Irish' despite the 1998 Belfast agreement saying otherwise," writes the UK entertainment blog, SeenIt.co.uk. According to our history books, the Belfast Agreement allows citizens of Northern Ireland to identify themselves as Irish or British, or both. After attempting to change the country associated with the account, EA tech support told SeenIt changing the region was impossible because Ireland is "not listed distinctively" and is included under Great Britain. Seems like a silly thing for Electronic Arts to put its foot down on, unless it's the first step to easily categorizing the world. Step two? All Canadians listed as hailing from "America's Hat." [Thanks, Martin]
Trophies: Battlefield 1943
0 Platinum 1 Gold 4 Silver 7 Bronze Difficulty: Very Easy Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 20 hours DLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-63331%
PS3 Battlefield 1943 players unlock 'Air Superiority'
The official Battlefield 1943 Twitter account announced Saturday evening that PS3 players now have access to the Coral Sea "air superiority" map, a mere four days after Xbox 360 owners were granted the same privilege for committing mass murder. The good thing about the Coral Sea is that it can be accessed from the main menu (it's not a map in normal rotation) and gives ample time to practice and perfect flying a plane. Now, DICE just needs to add a map where people do nothing else but the air raid and they'll have done fan service for the two groups who sit around doing nothing else on the normal maps. %Gallery-63331%
Snap Judgment: Battlefield 1943
It's not for lack of time that this Battlefield 1943 review has instead become a ... Snap Judgment! Actually, Snapped Judgment would be more applicable to my personal experience with this game over the past week. My first day was spent Googling various iterations of "EA connection problems" and scouring forum threads for solutions to why I couldn't get beyond the initial connection to the EA server (never mind a secondary game server). Logging into EA's website, my Gamertag was clearly linked to my EA account -- no problem there. Attempting to connect through several other EA games (which had worked fine in the past), though, revealed that my problem had become console-wide. After following several red herrings -- deleting, re-downloading, searching for the elusive FaceBreaker demo -- I did finally succeed at connecting to the EA server and thereby gained "permission" to attempt to connect to a Battlefield match. Guess how? %Gallery-63331%
Battlefield 1943 takes five million virtual lives on day one
Battlefield 1943 was an instant hit. We know this because we could barely play for the first few days the game was available. That didn't stop others, however, who managed to get into games and get with the killing. DICE's Gordon Van Dyke recently left an update on the official game forums, stating that players managed to get over five million kills on the game's first day of release. We imagine over half of those were people who had no business being in that airplane to begin with. Oh, and for you kids keeping count and anxiously awaiting the new Coral Sea map, it looks like it'll be available sometime this week on Xbox 360. PS3 players will likely have to wait a while, as they're lagging behind big time in the kills. [Via VG247]
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Battlefield 1943
First, we couldn't actually play Battlefield 1943 yesterday, so please forgive the tardiness of this, the latest episode of XBLA in Brief. Now that EA's servers seem to be in order, it's time to look at the new, download-only installment of Battlefield. In short, it seems pretty damned solid. Watch the latest episode and see if it deserves your 1200 ($15). Download the trial version of Battlefield 1943 [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Battlefield 1943 cheevos airdropped onto web, running for your flag
After EA DICE loosed the official release date for Battlefield 1943 early today, we set to scouring the interweb for more information on the upcoming digitally distributed title. Wouldn't you know it, the first thing we found was the game's somewhat less-than-thrilling Achievements over on Inside MGC, detailing how many flag caps you'll need before hearing the glorious cheevo noise and snagging 10Gs for yourself, among other things. If you're one of those folks a bit more concerned than they should be with points (aren't we all?), check out the full list to see exactly how you'll be playing BF1943 when it hits next week.
Battlefield 1943 new video and screens
There's no more to say about our hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 than what's been said already ... so we thought we'd cut the chit-chat and let you soak up the new video above and screens below. Actually, we have one minor detail to correct. Previously, we reported that Battlefield would be $15 on the PlayStation Store; it's actually only $14.99. So how will you be spending that extra penny? %Gallery-63331%
Battlefield 1943 hits the trenches this June for $15 [update]
Update: EA has sent us a new trailer for the game showing off Wake Island. Enjoy! When the first trailer for Battlefield 1943 released, we were instantly pumped for the game. Multiplayer shooters are fun, but DICE made the right call by including tons of explosions and dudes getting shot in the face in the game's debut trailer. Now, we're happy to report that the game will arrive on XBLA and PSN (1200/$15) sometime this June (PC gamers get it in September). Battlefield 1943 features three different tropical locales: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and gamers can play as either the US Marines or Imperial Japanese Navy in matches supporting up to 24 players. Essential reading: NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on %Gallery-43905%
GDC09: Battlefield 1943 rolls onto Iwo Jima
click to Great War size Many of our GDC demos, Battlefield 1943 included, have been of the incredibly brief variety. (Is the industry saving up its really good stuff for E3 or what?) In the case of DICE's return to its classic multiplayer-only, WWII-era FPS franchise, what we saw and played at an event that shouted, "Hey, you! Yeah, you! C'mere! You've never seen this before!" was ... exactly what we'd played before. This time, however, it was on on a new map -- the island of Iwo Jima. %Gallery-48671%
NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on (XBLA)
Battlefield 1943 Pacific is just like ... well, other Battlefields. That's a compliment, by the way. 1943 is no janky spinoff. It's small in scope, sure, but it offers (and even improves upon -- read: no more health packs!) the core experience of its disc-based brethren. This is visible -- even playable -- in a pre-alpha build (XBLA version) on the New York Comic Con show floor. We got our hands on the Wake Island map, one of three in the downloadable game, which is modeled on the actual geographic location with a few gameplay-enhancing improvements. 1943's color palette is distinctly vibrant, clashing against the epic destruction that ensues once a match begins. As featured in Bad Company last year, the Frostbite game engine's destructible environments are exploding and imploding in 1943 as well, with buildings reduced to mere foundations as players carelessly toss grenades, launch rockets and even bomb from the skies (bombers can be somewhat controlled from within specially-marked, protected bombing HQs). Destruction is a gimmick -- but a good one. %Gallery-43905%
