Free-to-play PC games getting bigger and better

November 17th, 2010

The quality and quantity of freemium PC games have rapidly increased over the last year.

The latest in the booming "play for free, pay for upgrades" business comes courtesy of Electronic Arts. Dubbed Battlefield Play4Free and set for release next year on PC, the game "combines the very best of the Battlefield series," including updated maps and vehicles from Battlefield 2, and the classes and weapons of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. It supports 32-person online multiplayer and access to 16 vehicles.

Similar to EA's other freemium shooter, Battlefield Heroes, Play4Free features RPG-style leveling and customization. Unlike Heroes, the game boasts "realistic graphics" in an effort to appeal to more hardened shooter fans.

The announcement of Play4Free arrives on the heels of signficant freemium game momentum, including both Facebook games and the previously released Battlefield Heroes, which reached an impressive 6 million registered players this year, according to EA. Other popular games in the free to play model include Vindictus and League of Legends.

Speaking of the trend, iGames president Mark Nielson says, "It's great. With free to play games, players don't need to worry about spending money on games they don't like. Also, it's much easier for groups of friends to play together."

What do you think of the rise of freemium PC games?

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