EA scraps Bad Company weapon fee

By Robert Purchese Published 10 April, 2008

The Mob is Rome.

EA has decided to make the extra guns in Battlefield: Bad Company available to everybody for free.

These were previously only available as DLC, or to those buying the Gold Edition of the game.

But, due to the arrival of a pitchfork-wielding mob, the publisher rethought its plan and is allowing you to attain the extra weaponry when you get to rank 25 - otherwise known as The Top.

Those forking out extra for the Gold Edition will still be able to use the weapons out of the box.

"DICE is built upon the multiplayer community, and we do listen to what people say out there," Karl-Magnus Troedsson, senior producer at developer DICE, told GameSpot. "When we saw this big uprise... We just decided that all weapons will be free in the game, and that's how it is now."

Battlefield: Bad Company is due out on PS3 and 360 this summer, after having been pushed back from an early 2008 release to be given some extra army boot-polish.

Little is known about the game, other than it is a story-based affair with plenty of dark humour, offering a look at how soldiers act behind enemy lines - a bit like that Three Kings film.

"I would give Battlefield: Bad Company a chance, because it's a really awesome game, and the use of destruction is really revolutionary; I've done things in that game which I've never done before," DICE producer Ben Cousins told Gamasutra, recently. "It's a real tangential shift for shooters to suddenly not have cover and to be able to shoot your way through cover.

"The other way [it's] really innovating is the story. We talked about the incredibly serious war setting, [but] this is a bunch of dudes cracking jokes; these movies you see on YouTube have got guys on tours of duty in Iraq, there, dealing with this with humor, and that's a fascinating thing."

Go like the clappers over to our Battlefield: Bad Company gamepage for handfuls of videos offering a glimpse at what it's all about.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • monkie_king #1 4 years ago

    It's more Kelly's Heroes than Three Kings, isn't it?

  • the_dudefather #2 4 years ago

    good move

  • MBar #3 4 years ago

    An impressive about-face. Good stuff.

    Now lower the Rock Band price! The legion commands it!

  • TheWretched #4 4 years ago

    "I would give Battlefield: Bad Company a chance, because it's a really awesome game, and the use of destruction is really revolutionary"

    Soooo, the producer would play his own game? I bet, Uwe Boll also likes his own movies! Don't ever ask a Producer or Director if he likes his work!

  • stampax #5 4 years ago

    EA can make everything else free as they'll make so much money off rock band!

  • thomasbeff #6 4 years ago

    They actually listened to us? wtf?

  • asphaltcowboy #7 4 years ago

    Wow, power to the people! Let's hope the Rockband prices crumbles beneath our mighty footfall!

  • Zomoniac #8 4 years ago

    Well the Rock Band mob is a damn sight bigger. Get sharpening your utensils, people.

  • Apostle #9 4 years ago

    Shame the game isn't that good that it makes a difference really.

    I would have instantly bought this as a BF fan, but after playing the beta, I'm left a little dissapointed.

  • JonFE #10 4 years ago

    EA, do you see? It is possible to listen to your fans and save face. Now, apply same logic to the Rock Band pricing structure, please...

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #11 4 years ago

    I agree with MBar. If they're listening, then lower the Rock Band price! Even if it just drops below £150, that's a big psychological barrier I reckon.

    I'm looking forward to this game, but I don't like him talking about "a bunch of dudes cracking jokes". Makes it sound like Army of Two or Gears of War. I don't like pretending to be an arsehole Yank jock.

  • Syneisha #12 4 years ago

    I'm assuming that this "gold" version (where you can use these nice extras right away) comes at some premium to a regular version (where you do not), so we're still stuck in the same "pay more to get an advantage" situation, right?

  • Rirekon #13 4 years ago

    I'll actually give this a shot now

  • Olemak #14 4 years ago

    They'd be smart to make a demo; no way I'd buy this without trying it first.
    Might be a decent game in there, but I am getting a serious "Army of Two" vibe. And not in a good way.

  • Prodigy_BE #15 4 years ago

    Okay, when do we start the Rock Band boycott and petitions?

  • 3william56 #16 4 years ago

    Wakey wakey. Read it again, suckers. You have to reach level 25 to get the weapons the Gold gets from day 1.

    If it's anything like Warhawk, you'll have to play for well over 100+ hours to get to that rank. And you'll be playing without the posh weaponry and getting pwned by the Gold crew for the entire time.

    You're still being screwed. All hail EA and their push for quality.

    (At least it's not level 25 for US, level 50 for europe, I guess...)

  • Freek #17 4 years ago

    Nice to see DICE/EA coming to their senses on this one.

  • dsmx #18 4 years ago

    That means we have to know move onto stopping EA overcharging for rock band and preventing them from buying up there competitors. Mob get on it now.

  • woof1989 #19 4 years ago

    Sarcastic Gamer started the boycott! They are such awesome guys :)

  • tobsen #20 4 years ago

    "These movies you see on YouTube have got guys on tours of duty in Iraq, there, dealing with this with humor, and that's a fascinating thing."

    From the videos I have seen, I would rather call this humour "SICK AND DEPRAVED".

  • jebus #21 4 years ago

    "But, due to the arrival of a pitchfork-wielding mob, the publisher rethought its plan and is allowing you to attain the extra weaponry when you get to rank 25 - otherwise known as The Top"


    Should try this with Roockband

  • oceanmotion #22 4 years ago

    Yea, EA aren't playing nice. Still screwing users over and you can bet the DLC will be nice and pricey with tasty bait. They are just finding another route to the money, nothing more, nothing less.

  • BarcaAzul #23 4 years ago

    Game Players United 1 v 0 Greedy Publisher


    Its about time people stood up and said no to Micro transaction DLC!! Its just ripping the consumer off if you ask me. Like 4 CoD 4 maps for 6 quid.

    I wont buy the game out of principal anyway, its like giving money to the devil!!

  • thenastypasty #24 4 years ago

    now for rock band and that goddam horse armour!!!