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Recent updates to EA’s Battlefield Play 4 Free have caused uproar amongst the game’s community.
The issues, detailed by Kotaku, began in December 2011 when EA released a Battlefield Play 4 Free update that lowered the damage output of many of the game’s more desirable costs-actual-money weaponry. Customers felt short-changed after their items now weren’t quite what they had in mind when they originally opened their wallets. No refunds were offered.
EA’s attempts to soothe the community with posts on the game’s forum were met with dismay – an original thread was locked after 21 pages of complaints, and a follow-up thread managed to reach 319 pages of vocal outrage before moderators decided to close it.
As a further response, EA promised some tweaks to their original plans on January 9. “We will be implementing several community requested changes to the ‘+3’ weapons,” reads a statement from EA.
“We absolutely value our community,” wrote community manager Cain Sinopoulos in the forums.
“We constantly monitor our forums for feedback and ideas on how to make Battlefield Play4Free a better game. Your experience is our top priority. We know it hasn’t been fun to feel like you can’t win, and we know it hasn’t been fun to feel like there’s no challenge.”
“This is a situation where we had to make a tough decision, and in the short term, it is not pleasant for everyone, but we believe these changes will lead to a more enjoyable gaming experience for all our players.”
While customers are bound by terms of service agreements for these games, publishers can easily feel the bitter sting of a scorned community – simply look at the mass exodus of EVE Online after it was revealed the developer was looking to introduce microtranscations to the MMO famed for its free market conditions.
