A free version of EA's Battlefield Heroes is to be launched online later this year and is to be supported by ads, including micro payments.

The availability of this new version, which will not be sold in the shops, is part of a wider bid by the games developer to find new sources of ad-driven revenue in Western markets.

According to the BBC, the free game "is designed to have more mass market appeal than current titles in the series".

More emphasis has been made on simply playing the game as opposed to gaming skills, as to reflect this, the game has a "cartoon-feel".

Ben Cousins, senior producer at Dice, which co-produces the game, told BBC News that no adverts would be appear in the game itself.

He explained: "Adverts wouldn't work inside the fictional world. Instead, they will appear on the website and the front-end of the game."

he continued that gamers will be able to buy items to customise their appearance in the Battlefield Heroes world, but will not be able to buy weapons.

Cousins said as well as exploring new revenue streams, the move was also about making the game more accessible: "I've always felt there was some really good fun core gameplay which was locked away by several barriers to entry: the game is complex, it is full of skilled people, you need quite a high-end PC on which to play and you need to go to store to purchase a copy."

"We're removing all barriers to entry and we hope there is broader audience for the title. You will be able to play this game on grandma's laptop."

Cousins said EA expected 95% of people who played the game will not spend any money.

The launch of the new version of Battlefield Heroes follows a similar ploy in the East when EA released a free version of its Fifa game in South Korea, which is reported to have earned more than $1m a month through in-game sales.

Cousins told the BBC: "If you look at Korea and Asia this is a model that works. Given the enormous explosion in web-based gaming products, this is going to be a real source of growth in the industry and Battlefield Heroes is the first step towards doing that in West."

EA's Gerhard Florin explained in a statement: "Online gaming has a massive audience. People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."

Analysts are saying that EA's policy may reflect a gaming industry-wide move from retail-focused sales towards digital distribution.

>> Via - BBC News