EA/Dice have now announced the next installment for the BattleField series for the PC. However it’s not what you’re expecting but does sound some what interesting. Battlefield Heroes is a brand new Play 4 Free game from the people that brought you the multi-million selling Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2. It’s a fun cartoon-style shooter which caters to players of all skill levels – easy to pick up and play, but with deep character development, It will be released for the PC as a free download in Summer 2008

Press release: “Online gaming garners a massive audience”, said Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA. “People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play.”

Battlefield Heroes is a brand new game from the team behind Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2. It’s fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character custogameplay and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.
“We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay,” added Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE. “There’s something here for all types of players — gameplayr core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games.”

Battlefield Heroes will be released for the PC as a free download in summer 2008. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information on EA DICE, please visit www.dice.se or www.ea.com.

It will be interesting to get more information especially the part about the server side of the game. I’m really excited about the Team Fortress 2 style, which I love but hate their small maps.

- The official BattleField Heroes site

Also here is a nice Extra Bit of info I’ve just found…

PBF has posted some more info regarding Battlefield Heroes

Is this BF3? No, Battlefield Heroes is not Battlefield 3. Battlefield Heroes is one of many Battlefield games in development by DICE, including Battlefield Bad Company for PS3 and Xbox 360. We have not made any announcements regarding Battlefield 3.

How’s this different than any other game out there?It’s mainly different because it’s FREE! But this is also a new take on Battlefield games. Battlefield Heroes combines the classic sandbox gameplay of the Battlefield series, but we are also adding loads of new stuff – a fun, over-the-top setting and art style, simpler controls and interface, and a deep character development and customization system. Because it is download for free and ‘Play 4 Free’, it really changes how we approach game development – we can add new content to the game at any time, we can respond to the community’s feedback with tweaks and changes and we can make the game YOU want to play…

Original source: EA UK Forums

And 1UP’s next issue of Games for Windows will answer some of the following:

With it’s next Battlefield, Electronic Arts and Swedish developer DICE have another idea altogether: challenge the very assumptions about what constitutes a proper PC game. Battlefield Heroes not only promises to work well on laptops and lower-end boxes, it’s free to play.

That advertising on Heroes’ online hub and player pages, styled after social networks like Myspace.com, pays for the ongoing project is only part of the story. The March issue of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine completes the picture, answering the following questions and many more:

What’s up with micro-transactions and will they allow deep-pocketed players to spend their way to dominance?

Does Heroes’ cartoon style mean the game’s gone soft?

Did Team Fortress 2 inspire Heroes or is this a classic case of convergent evolution?

How will Heroes address imbalances associated with the Battlefield series?

How customizable are characters and are these changes purely cosmetic?

How has producer Ben Cousins’ previous work experience with PlayStation Home informed Heroes?

What armies, vehicles, and themes are in the works?

Subscribers should start looking for their issue on January 29. The rest of you will have to wait until February 12, when it arrives on shelves.

Original source: 1UP