DICE will never charge for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 DLC @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on April 01, 2010

News: Take that, Activision!

Activision and developer Infinity Ward have not engendered much gamer good will over the last week with the pricing on their Stimulus Package. Tagged at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), the five map pack has become one of the priciest downloadable expansions yet.

On the same day that Xbox 360 owners received a Stimulus, Electronic Arts and DICE released a map pack for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that was absolutely free.

The VIP Map Pack 2 required a download code that was packed in with all copies of BBC2. The map pack adds two map upgrades: "Capture strategic town positions as Arica Harbor is enhanced with Conquest Mode and Secure M-COM stations in Laguna Presa, updated with Rush Mode."

While not officially a part of the VIP Pack 2, DICE and EA have also unlocked Squad Rush Mode (a 4-on-4 version of Rush Mode) for all PS3 and Xbox 360 players. Previously a pre-order exclusive, the mode caps a very busy week for BBC2 players.

Not only was the VIP Pack 2 available at no charge, but DICE doesn't plan to ever charge for the "generous" DLC they have planned for Bad Company 2 in the future:

"We don't ever want to charge for our maps and insisted to EA that this attitude was crucial when it came to keeping our community happy and playing together," DICE senior producer Patrick Bach told Xbox World 360 magazine.

I would applaud EA/DICE for sticking it to "The Man", but that doesn't really apply here. This is more like "The Man" sticking it to another, slightly larger, "The Man", And... you know what, I'm just going to stop there.

We'll have more soon.