Developer Electronic Arts announces its plans to delist three more older Battlefield games later this month as they will shut down online services in November.
The Battlefield titles that are affected are the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, and Battlefield: Hardline. The games were released in 2011, 2013, and 2015, respectively.
Battlefield Games to be Delisted
(Photo : Electronic Arts, DICE / Screenshot taken from Steam)
They will all be delisted from digital storefronts on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, and from that point onward, they will no longer be available for purchase alongside their corresponding DLCs. Furthermore, online components for all three affected titles will no longer be available starting Nov. 7, 2024.
However, Electronic Arts noted that the game's single-player modes will still remain accessible even after they are delisted from digital storefronts. The publisher had also said that the latest announcement applies to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions only.
This means that Battlefield 3 will still be available for purchase on PC while Battlefield 4 and Battlefield: Hardline will remain available for purchase on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, according to Eurogamer.
Despite the announcement of the delisting, Electronic Arts has not yet revealed the reason why it is "sunsetting" these particular Battlefield titles. However, an accompanying FAQ said that it usually takes these decisions "for legal reasons, or because players are asking for resources elsewhere."
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The post added that there always comes a time in every game's lifecycle when it makes sense for the studio to remove it from online stores. The news also follows the company's decision to remove Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 1 & 2 from sale last year.
At the time, Electronic Arts said that this particular decision was made so that it could "shift [its] focus towards our current and future Battlefield experiences." The news also comes as Battlefield 3 is perhaps the most beloved of all the titles affected by the sunsetting.
The Franchise's Waning Popularity
The title will celebrate its 13th birthday in just two weeks ahead of the servers being shut down. On the other hand, Battlefield 4 arrived as the franchise's first entry on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and featured a cops and robbers theme, said IGN.
The situation also comes as the Battlefield franchise is currently a shadow of its former glory. Relatively, Battlefield 2042 has a smaller following when compared to previous releases in the series.
On the other hand, Battlefield V has maintained a strong following of players on PC and was able to record 27,000 players on Steam alone.
So far, Battlefield 4 has a small but loyal following on PC and averages around more than 2,000 players on Steam every day. And for Battlefield 3, there are only a few hundred players who are still diving into the game on Steam every day.
The situation suggests that it is only a matter of time before the servers for these Battlefield games are forced to shut down. Many fans of the franchise are hoping that DICE will have a suitable replacement when that time comes, according to OverClock3D.
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