Free BFBC2 Maps: DICE Snipe at Infinity Ward's Mapathy

“While Infinity Wars appears to have some premium downloadable maps coming on March 30 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, DICE, too, is at work on new maps for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that are set for release on the same day. DICE has made it no secret that they’re out to best MW2, and they’ve taken shots at Infinity Ward in the past — after it was revealed that MW2 wouldn’t have dedicated servers, DICE released an FAQ that stated, “So rest assured PC players, Battlefield will stay true to its roots offering dedicated servers to all its players and continue the tradition of the ultimate FPS gaming experience!”

With the announcement about the new maps at the end of the month, DICE has once again knocked the competition. In addition to pointing out that releasing the new maps for free helps to prevent segmenting the community, DICE said, “It also plays a vital part in making sure you, the players get proper value for the money you’ve invested in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. This is why these map packs are available at no extra cost, contradicting the industry standard and what our direct competitors are doing.” If that’s not blatant enough for you, they went on to add, “We’re dedicated to taking care of this product for a long time — helping you avoid ‘mapathy’ without getting nickel-and-dimed.”

The new maps aren’t entirely new, however; instead, the existing Arica Harbor map is being repurposed as a Conquest mode map, and Laguna Presa is being turned into a Rush mode map. You’ll need to be a VIP member in order to get the maps for free. In other words, you’ll simply need to have purchased a new copy of the game and entered the accompanying code to grant yourself VIP access.

DICE is planning on releasing premium DLC down the line, but it won’t come in the form of maps. Instead, it will “focus on expanding other parts of the game experience rather than the selection of maps available for the basic game modes.” It’s unclear what exactly they could have in store that wouldn’t segment the community in a similar way to releasing premium maps, unless it’s something like new weapons and equipment that only the DLC owners can use.”

If all this testosterone-fueled rivalry means free stuff for gamers – awesome!

Source: 1up.com