EA Pushes ‘Free’ Ad-Supported Games January 22, 2008

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Ad-supported games have been hovering around for years now but big guns like Electronic Arts are planning to push the concept that little bit further with its new Play 4 Free campaign..

The company is planning to to release a ‘free’ online version of the game Battlefield Heroes, a shooter supported by ads and something called ‘micro-payments’. First off, the ads. According to EA the ads will not be ‘in-game’ – a good thing – but at the start as you load up. The ‘micro-payments’ are essentially cheap extras that you can buy to customise your in-game character.

The game will have a ‘cartoon-feel’ and has been designed to run even on older, creaky PCs.

“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.”

“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.”

The PC game will be available to download from this summer. Are ad-supported ‘free’ games a good thing?-Martin Lynch

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