EA: microtransactions are more profitable than in-game ads

Matthew DeCarlo

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In an interview with Edge, Electronic Arts revealed that in-game ads aren't as profitable as originally expected. Ben Cousins, EA's general manager of free-to-play operations, told the publication that the mega-publisher "[isn't] getting much from ad revenue at all," and that the in-game advertising model hasn't grown as quickly as people expected it to. Instead, Cousins explained that microtransactions are more profitable.

EA tested both models with its free-to-play cartoony shooter Battlefield Heroes, and while virtual sales exploded, advertisements have been somewhat of a flop. "If you think about how fast the virtual goods business has grown in the last year or so, it's been much quicker and become a much more reliable source of revenue," Cousins said in reference to Farmville, which has been wildly successful thanks to microtransactions.

EA plans to release a new free-to-play Battlefield title called "Battlefield Play4Free" next spring, which will ditch Battlefield Heroes' cartoonish graphics and allow gamers to purchase items and upgrades with real money. Play4Free will scale up to 32 players, support vehicular combat, and include popular maps from Battlefield 2 as well as the classes and factions in Bad Company 2. You can register to become a beta tester on the official site.

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I play the beta and it's really solid for a freebie. The controls aren't as tight as BC2, but all in all the gameplay feels right to me. The gfx are basic and as such the game should run just fine on hardware that's a few years old. It's worth checking out if you haven't already!
 
play for free is pretty much a remake of Battlefield 2 (2005). It uses Battlefield 2 maps and vehicles with Bad Company weapons. When I finally get to play it, it will probably be able to keep me busy until Battlefield 3.
 
pcnthuziast said:
I play the beta and it's really solid for a freebie. The controls aren't as tight as BC2, but all in all the gameplay feels right to me. The gfx are basic and as such the game should run just fine on hardware that's a few years old. It's worth checking out if you haven't already!

I have played too.It does feel pretty solid for a beta right now.Flashbacks to BF2 days for sure..
Should run on LTs ok with the graphics basic as they are..But you can crank them up to 1920x1200.
 
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