DICE "surprised" by "very strong reaction" to Battlefield: Bad Company cash for weapons scandal

Speaking to videogaming247, DICE producer Jamie Keen has said that the EA developer was taken aback by the fierce reaction to plans to charge for weapons in Battlefield: Bad Company, but that listening to the community is paramount for those working on the franchise.

"We were slightly surprised by the strength of the reaction," he said.

"Charged downloadable content is becoming more prevalent throughout gaming, but it's important for us to be able to react to people's wishes and desires. There was a very strong reaction to it.

"For a game like Battlefield, where we've had a very strong online presence, and traditionally we've had very strong communications with the community, it's important for us to be able to react to people. And yeah, we have to listen to people."

Keen added, by way of explanation as to why the idea of charging for certain weapons had been included, that the concept was essentially a test.

"The beta was an opportunity for us to try out a few different bits and pieces and see how people react to it, and that was one of things we wanted to see," he said. "One of the things that cropped up was the reaction to [charging for weapons]."

Following a turnaround on the issue, Keen said he was pleased at the way the community has reacted to EA's decision to make all the weapons in Bad Company free.

"I felt that people were pleased that we were reacting in that kind of way, and that's good," he said.

"I think it sets a tenor with the kind of relationship we want to strike with people. We don't want to come across as some sort of ivory tower company that doesn't listen to people and what they're after.

"Making sure that the community is being involved in that sort of way and making sure that it's being listened to and feels as though it's being listened to is very, very important to us."

For the full interview with Jamie, hit the play button below.

[audio:badcompanyint.mp3]