"Booster Packs" to be sold online for 9.99.

I don't know, I suppose of SF wasn't a success than EA likely wouldn't be trying to fix the issues with BF2 as they sit now.      If the community did actually say "We are sick of EA corporate tactics and aren't gonna buy SF" then EA would just let the damn game sit as it is and not dump more resources into it.     God knows I've seen them do that before dumping all support for a game that isn't a success.


Anyhow, linkage,

global.dice.se/press/pressreleases/?article=f0e81a34-bd1a-45e7-837a-2b5f22f50eda

Battlefield 2 Special Forces an online success Digital Illusions CE AB (publ) 2005-12-22 Digital Illusions’ expansion pack Battlefield 2 Special Forces was launched in the end of November 2005. This was the first product Electronic Arts sold directly to consumers over the internet. The test was so successful that the PC game – another expansion pack to Battlefield 2 – planned for launch during spring 2006 now will be changed to booster packs to be sold online. Every tenth copy of the expansion pack Battlefield 2 Special Forces was over the Internet, and the rest of the copies were sold to retailers. When games are sold online directly to consumers Digital Illusions earns more money per product than if they are sold through retailers. - We see online sales as a very interesting channel in the future. Digital Illusions work together with EA to find the best solutions that favours both the consumers and retailers, said Patrick Söderlund, CEO of Digital Illusions. The Battlefield 2 expansion pack planned to be launched during spring 2006 is now replaced by two booster packs. The change means slightly lower project revenues during the fourth quarter 2005 than during the third, due to a lower development budget. The anticipation though is that this will be compensated by higher royalty revenues during the first six month 2006. The expansion packs in the Battlefield series have new maps, vehicles and weapons. Each Battlefield booster pack will have new but fewer maps, vehicles and weapons. Instead they are sold to a lower price: 9.99 USD. An expansion pack is usually sold at between 19.90 USD and 29.90 USD. Today at least two Battlefield 2 booster packs are planned for spring 2006.