Costs were kept low by using Bad Company 2 weapons and Battlefield 2 maps, which was decided to give people ”familiarity”, and it’s out of ‘paranoia’ too.
”We were constrained, but we weren’t constrained by costs. We were constrained by speed to market,” said EA’s Easy studio general manager, Ben Cousins.
”We’re paranoid - in this sort of business you have to be very paranoid. We wanted to get something out as fast as possible, so that’s why we used those assets. But like I say, there’s a reason for using those features which is giving people familiarity.”
They had ”just over five per cent of the budget of Battlefield 3. That’s production and marketing. Five to ten per cent,” reveal Cousins. Already the micro transactions are generating that money back. EA has learnt from Battlefield Heroes a lot.
”We’re actually already commercialising the beta. We’re already selling stuff and we’re seeing the clothing items do really well. The key moment in our games, both Battlefield: Play4Free and Heroes, is the kill cam,” said the executive.
”As you know, you get killed by someone and you see them straight afterwards. That’s the moment when you can say - ‘I killed you and I am a badass.’”
”There’s another element too, which is the forums. People love to show off their soldiers there - taking screenshots and making a signature.” Vanity on the Internet? Wow.
Visit the official Battlefield Play4Free website to signup for the beta test.