Electronic Arts has said it has no intention of charging for Battlefield 3’s Battlelog service, following comments from Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter suggesting the publisher was looking to follow in the footseps of Activision’s Call of Duty Elite offering.
Speaking earlier this week, Pachter said he feels EA will likely roll out a premium Battlelog service with the added incentive of map packs for the sum of around $50.
"Battlelog is a free service for Battlefield 3 players that will provide statistics, social networking tools, friend list management, squad setup, and platoons, all with built-in voice chat. Although Battlelog and non-premium Elite memberships are free and offer many similar features, we think that many hard core Call of Duty gamers will opt for premium Elite, particularly if the total DLC spend for Battlefield 3 is expected to exceed $50. Ultimately, we expect Electronic Arts to emulate Activision and charge for Battlelog by including map packs with the service for a $50 fee,” he said.
However, speaking to IndustryGamers, a spokesperson for EA asserted that the publisher has no intention of emulating Activision’s efforts.
"We are providing Battlelog to Battlefield 3 players to deliver the best social, multiplayer FPS experience in the market. We have no plans to charge for this service with Battlefield 3. The Battlefield series has always been about playing with friends, and Battlelog takes that experience to the next level by serving as a unique social network."
Battlefield 3 is due out on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 next month.