According to the latest Battleblog, EA’s much-anticipated shooter, Battlefield 3, will implement its own proprietary social network for players to use in conjunction with the game. The network itself will be called Battlelog and will be free for all Battlefield 3 owners.
It looks as if you will be able to build a network of friends, communicate with other players, and compare an extensive variety of stats while on Battlelog. You can also can access it and communicate with friends from your console, computer, or phone, making for a more dynamic experience.
DICE producer Fredrik Loving, had this to say:
“We are changing how you communicate, play, compete and share content with their friends, extending the in-game experience to be accessible from your home computer, on your handheld devices while commuting, or wherever you may be.”
Just like the game itself, Battlelog will compete directly with the Call of Duty Elite service. Hopefully this was not done in haste as a response to Elite, but rather a major component of Battlefield 3’s long term plan.
Electronic Arts made a good, strategic decision to keep Battlelog free, so as to separate itself from Elite’s premium service which requires a monthly fee in order to get full content. This will definitely attract some bargain hunters, but if it is not of similar quality to Call of Duty Elite, it may do Battlefield 3 more harm than good.
I do have to give credit to DICE and EA for stepping up to the plate and making sure that they are doing everything they can to create a unique, immersive experience for gamers. We all know they have some pretty serious competition, so let’s hope that they can make it happen.
Battlefield 3 is set to launch on October 23rd of this year.
