Today, Electronic Arts and developer Dice announced plans to sunset a selection of older Battlefield games and Mirror’s Edge later this month. Sadly, the list includes one of the best entries in the Battlefield franchise: Bad Company 2. And while you’ll still be able to play it online until the end of this year, you soon won’t be able to buy BFBC2 or the other titles digitally across console and PC as of April 28.
Released back in 2010, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was the bigger, better sequel to the original, console-exclusive Bad Company. This time around, BC2 was released on PC as well as console and boasted an improved version of the Frostbite engine, which debuted in the first Bad Company game. This new engine allowed for greater destructibility and bigger battles. That awesome destruction coupled with great maps and solid gunplay helped make BC2 one of the most beloved games in the franchise. Even 13 years later, people still beg EA for a Bad Company 3. And while that might happen one day, EA and Dice are delisting and shutting down BFBC and its popular sequel in the meantime.
The publisher is removing Battlefield: Bad Company, Bad Company 2, Battlefield: 1943, and Mirror’s Edge from all digital storefronts on April 28.
EA explained in an announcement via the official EA site that the move is in preparation for the eventual shutdown of online servers for these games on December 8. For people who already own the games, they will still be able to play any included single-player campaigns or offline modes after December 8. However, BF1943 will effectively be killed completely once its servers shut down as it was an online-only shooter with no campaign.
“While these titles hold a special place in our heart, we’re now looking forward to creating new memories alongside you as we shift our focus towards our current and future Battlefield experiences,” EA said in its announcement post.
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While none of these games were likely very popular in 2023, it’s still a shame to see the titles be completely removed from storefronts and have their servers killed, too. Especially for a game as great as BFBC2, which was a huge entry point for many current Battlefield fans who had never played the series before. It definitely stings more than I expected it to as I watch that game go into the void.
But I’m also getting used to publishers pulling the plug on games this year. We are barely a few months into 2023, and it already feels like our growing list of dead games is overflowing. It’s just another reminder that game preservation is important and needed more than ever.
