Battlefield: Bad Company 2 free map pack out on March 30, 2010

12 March 2010

Posted by:Josh

Mapathy...do you have it?
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be getting some free maps on March 30 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The maps that are coming will be available free for “VIP members”, that is people who purchased the game new (and not used).

And just to heat up the competition between EA and Activision, they are releasing the maps on the same day that Modern Warfare 2′s “Stimulus Map Package” drops.

Not only that, but they have even stolen the term “Mapathy” (which Activision used for their fictional promotional web-site www.mapathy.com to promote the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Map Pack) and are using it in their own promotion of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 maps!

Posted on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 website is a riff on “How to avoid ‘mapathy’ without paying.” that pokes some fun at Modern Warfare 2′s Stimulus Package, which you have to pay for.

“VIP members will be able to expand on the deep and ever changing sandbox experience, which in itself provides near endless hours of entertainment, by having new content to keep things fresh. It also plays a vital part in making sure you, the players get proper value for the money you’ve invested in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. This is why these map packs are available at no extra cost, contradicting the industry standard and what our direct competitors are doing. Of course, it also helps avoid segmenting the community, making sure everyone can play together having the same maps available. There will be future paid downloadable content as well but these packs will focus on expanding other parts of the game experience rather than the selection of maps available for the basic game modes. We’re dedicated to taking care of this product for a long time – helping you avoid “mapathy” without getting nickel-and-dimed.”

Although the “new” VIP Bad Company 2 maps are already on the disc so it’s not true downloadable content. If you don’t have a VIP copy, you can purchase a VIP pass for $15.

Either way it’s fun to see the companies going at each other like this.

Via Kotaku