Electronic Arts is marking ten years of Battlefield 1942 by giving it away.
Has it really been ten years since Battlefield 1942 went online? Time flies when you’re shooting guys in the face, but a full decade? Wow.
But so it is, and EA is celebrating the tin anniversary by giving the game away to anyone who wants it. “Since the beginning, the reception to the Battlefield series has been incredible thanks to our amazing fans,” said DICE General Manager Karl Magnus Troedsson. “We wanted to thank our fans who have supported us throughout the years by restoring Battlefield 1942 for a digital re-release and give everyone a chance to play the game that started it all.”
EA isn’t exactly giving away the farm on this one. Battlefield 1942 has been out for ten years, after all – I may have mentioned that – so anybody who really wanted to play it very likely already has. My understanding is that the community remains relatively strong but the vast majority of newcomers are going to approach it as a curiosity item, not something in which they’re going to invest a lot of time and effort. On the other hand, free is free.
There are two catches to this Battlefield freebie. First, according to the fine print, the offer expires on March 1, 2013, so you’ve only got about five months to get on it. Second, and probably far more relevant to some of you, is that the game requires Origin, EA’s Steam-style online service that gamers love to hate. No Origin, no Battlefield.
If you don’t find that particular restriction too onerous to live with, then you can your very own free copy of the classic shooter than started it all from Battlefield.com.
