The FPS Arms Race Takes Another Ugly Turn - Battlefield 3 Getting a Paid Service?

The faux-marriage between Activision and Electronic Arts blossomed last year with an arms race of previously disproportionate titles, a relationship (and divorce) that has again collected headlines. Praising the tyrannous publisher for its handling of Call of Duty, EA stated yesterday it is hoping to emulate the success of Elite, the paid-monthly service providing eager players with a continuous stream of content.

EA COO Peter Moore recently told IndustryGamers in an interview: "I think certainly you look at what our competitors do well, and certainly Call of Duty Elite... the numbers Activision have talked about, they've done a great job."

Pending an announcement next week about future Battlefield 3 DLC, it's unclear what Electronic Arts has planned. But acknowledging the tremendous success of Elite shows the publisher has at least considered a similar system, either enhancing the Battlelog or something completely separate. And as a now solidified Battlefield fan, I find this news frightening.

The implications are obvious: emphasizing such a service creates tiers of players who can't play together. And with the console versions pushing Battlefield sales to the peak, what once was an exclusively PC fanbase has morphed into a makeshift collective of the three platforms. PC players still account for the majority, but the number of console players (including myself) has elevated significantly since the game's launch.

Whereas Call of Duty virtually doesn't exist on PC, the console base is the single voice. Recognizing this, Activision quickly monetized the world's most popular franchise, proving its players are willing to shell out more money to enhance the overall experience. This social experiment was never attempted by Electronic Arts, and any effort to push downloadable content outside "expansions" has been met unfavourably.

Equating the cultures of each game is foolhardy, even if they are viewed as "competitors". And differentiating the cultures is obviously something EA hasn't considered, or else the publisher would understand the fanbase just isn't interested in an Elite-like system. I played Final Fantasy XI for two years, paying $180 annually for a game I was devoutly addicted to, and I wouldn't want to go an ordeal like that again.

So Electronic Arts, on the slim chance one of your representatives is reading this, don't follow through. The business sounds appealing -- but we aren't interested. They're chasing ghosts. Jeff out.

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