EA 'No plans' to charge for Battlefield

EA has played down the possibility that it'll look to ape Activision's Call of Duty Elite service by bundling Battlefield 3 DLC with networking service Battlelog for a subscription fee. Analyst Michael Pachter said yesterday: "Battlelog is a free service for Battlefield 3 players that will provide statirmts, social networking tools, friend list management, squad setup, and platoons, all with built-in voice chat... Ultimately, we expect Electronic Arts to emulate Activision and charge for Battlelog by including map packs with the service for a $50 fee."Responding to Pachter's suggestion, EA told IndustryGamers: "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." Tom Ivan

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