DICE: We are not going casual

Producer: We have big plans. The fans don't need to worry.

Battlefield and Mirror's Edge developer DICE has reiterated its commitment to its hardcore fans, saying, "we are not going casual".

Speaking to VideoGamer.com in an interview to be published tomorrow, producer Patrick Liu insisted DICE, which made its name with the PC-focused Battlefield franchise, "will continue to do what we are best at".

His comments come following the announcement of Battlefield 1943, the download-only follow-up to Battlefield 1942, due out this summer on Xbox LIVE, PSN and PC.

DICE has described 1943, which will cost between £10 and £15 to download, as an entry level shooter intended to appeal to those who might not have heard of or played a Battlefield game.

Also in the works is Battlefield Heroes, a free-to-play cartoon shooter aimed at the casual PC gaming market.

He said: "We are definitely still making PC games, we've not forgotten about that. 1943 is announced for PC. Bad Company 2 is announced for the PC, so obviously we got the engine (Frostbite) running on PC. We just recently released Mirror's Edge on PC as well. I would say that we will continue to do what we are best at. We are not going casual, just because that is the trend. We're not good at that. It's not our core focus for the studio."

And Liu had an exciting message for Battlefield fans: "I feel a little sad sometimes when people say they're lazy or they're not listening to the fans. Yes of course we keep track of what the forums are saying. I can't say anything really, but we have plans. Definitely big plans. The fans don't need to worry."

Check back tomorrow for the interview with DICE's Patrick Liu in full. In the mean time, head over to our hands-on preview of Battlefield: 1943.