Following in the murky footstep of Activision’s Call of Duty Elite service, EA has announced a similar subscription service for their FPS, Battlefield 3, entitled Battlefield 3 Premium.
Priced at $49.99, Battlefield Premium carries the same price as its Elite competition. In return, players will receive five expansion packs; essentially it is five “Project Ten Dollars” shoved together. Battlefield 3 Premium subscribers will also have access to “a host of exclusive in-game items including the ACB-90 knife, a set of Premium dog tags, and soldier and weapon camos – all complemented by unique Battlelog features, Double XP weekends, and other exclusive events and videos.”
EA Games Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund claims that gamers will save $25 buying in bulk rather than buying the DLC packs individually, and that those who subscribed would receive new updates two weeks before normal players.
While the move is unsurprising, one cannot help but feel this is the road to Hell, paved with good intentions. Perhaps it is a question of lack of originality. Star Wars: The Old Republic was criticised for being too much like rival MMO World of Warcraft, while this new move sees Battlefield 3 merely following in Call of Duty’s footsteps. And when a game and subscription package costs over $100, players are more likely to only pick one.
And I can’t help but feel that EA is looking to gouge their players with little charges for any sort of perceived “extra.” But maybe it’s just me.
[Source: Reuters]
