DICE was reported earlier this week to have plans to shut down its free servers for Battlefield 3, much to the chagrin of everyone who read the report.
The report, found on VentureBeat, stated that console gamers had begun to notice that many of the game's public servers were going offline, disappearing completely from the server list.
As Gameranx could not make an independent verification of the report, we did not cover this story and left it to simmer until DICE and EA themselves spoke up today to deny that this was ever the case.
Here's what they've told GameInformer.
DICE is not shutting down servers. If DICE-managed servers appear unavailable, it is because they have been rented and customized by players. DICE will continue to add servers and will reserve a percentage of servers for players who prefer to connect through DICE-hosted servers.
Custom Servers have always been extremely popular with Battlefield PC players. With Battlefield 3, we’ve introduced a Custom Servers program to console gamers. Response has been overwhelmingly positive. Custom Servers gives players the ability to tailor the settings and parameters of a given server, which directly affects gameplay. It also gives players more choice as they select which server and gameplay style they like best.
As with any new innovation, there may be some confusion among players who are experiencing Custom Servers for the first time. We encourage players to use server filters and “favorite” options to find the servers that best suit their play style. We have enormous respect for the Battlefield community and are listening to the feedback. It is our #1 priority to ensure all players are having the best possible play experience.
