Battlefield Heroes, the forth-coming ‘free-to-play’ game from EA is set to explore new markets previously un-visited here in the west.

Executive producer for EA’s DICE studio Ben Cousins explained that titles like this are for the gamers who EA have labelled “frustrated restricted”. These are gamers who are either intimidated by more experienced players, can’t afford a home console, or simply don’t have the time.

"For example, a 15 year-old boy who can't afford a PS3 – he's desperate to play Call of Duty, but can't afford the console. Maybe a 30-35 year-old guy who is a new dad, who used to play games, but is restricted by time. Or maybe a new gamer who loves the idea of playing games but heard that all people who play multiplayer games are really skilled."

Cousins also mused during the GDC Paris in his keynote speech that online games would become a standard in the next year, comparing them to the state of television in 1940’s.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz