In an effort to try something new, Electronic Arts appears to be developing a new strategy that will offer paid-preview downloadable content prior to major packaged game releases. While the company does not intend to charge for actual demos, the company looks at this sale of the developed premium downloadable content as a potential new revenue stream that could be part of the future wave of the new strategies that we will see from publishers.

The content is targeted to sell for between $10 to $15 and will follow along the lines of what EA developer DICE did with the release of Battlefield 1943 prior to the actual shipment of the bigger retail title, Battlefield Bad Company 2. The strategy was successful and many are pointing to this as part of the strategy that reignited the Battlefield franchise prior to the release of the big budget and high profile BFBC2 title. In addition, Battlefield 1943 sold very well and much better than DICE or EA expected.

The strategy is viewed by EA as a low-cost marketing tool that could be both highly successful and profitable. While it is difficult to predict how the buying public will react to this strategy, it has been said that if Battlefield Bad Company 2 would have followed more quickly after the release of Battlefield 1943 it could have been even more successful. We think that the sales for BFBC2 are doing fine, but EA looks at it as a potential future strategy that could yield even better results. We think that adding PDLC raises the price of a game from $60 to the $70-$75 price range; and even though the purchases are split up, this moves the game price into pricey territory that might turn many customers away.