EA exploring subscription model for future Battlefield titles
"We're looking at how we can maximise our investment."
EA is considering adopting a subscription model for future Battlefield titles, according to the publisher's games chief Patrick Soderlund.
When asked by VentureBeat whether it was considering switching to a subscription-based delivery system, Soderlund replied:
"I think it's fair to say that we're looking at that. Like all other companies, we're looking at how we can maximise our investment in this and get the most out of our investment and get more people playing this product.
"That may take us to different places, but we're not really talking about where that is yet."
Soderlund gave no indication as to what form such a subscription set-up might take.
Rival shooter Call of Duty recently introduced its premium Elite service that offers paid subscribers regular DLC drops months ahead of standard users.
Elsewhere in the interview, Soderlund explained that EA views Battlefield 3 as a full-time, ongoing service for its customers.
"We look at it as a 24/7 service. We have people in Stockholm and North America and other parts of the world that are on this every single hour of every single day. 365 days a year. We have an operations team at DICE to look at telemetry data.
"How are people playing the game, how can we improve the experience? Are they having problems? Are servers down? Are they up? All that stuff."
Next up for the game is the Close Quarters expansion, due in June, with two more DLC add-ons - Armored Kill and End Game - to follow sometime thereafter.