In the early morning hours of July 14, a pre-order promo on Origin (the Electronic Arts digital-distribution service) for the new first-person shooter from developer Danger Close apparently revealed the existence of Battlefield 4. A banner ad read: “Medal of Honor Warfighter – Pre-order today for exclusive Battlefield 4 beta access.” That bonus no longer appears anywhere on the Origin service.
Battlefield 4 has not yet been confirmed by developer DICE or publisher EA. During a speech at the University of California in November 2011, Electronic Arts president Frank Gibeau said, “There is going to be a Battlefield 4.” After that keynote, EA backpedaled, claiming that Gibeau was speaking “broadly,” and that the company had nothing to confirm.
Well, someone at Origin seems to think that Battlefield 4 is coming.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
This type of pre-order promotion is in keeping with the marketing EA employed for Battlefield 3. The publisher granted early access to the Battlefield 3 beta to players who bought the Medal of Honor: Tier 1 edition.
According to the copy on this Origin offer, only customers that pre-order Medal of Honor Warfighter will get into the BF4 beta.
EA knows where it’s first-person bread is buttered.
[Update: EA announced the Battlefield 4 deal formally on July 17]
