Pre-orders soar for Battlefield BC2

Hype for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has reached an all-time high, with EA reporting huge pre-orders for the shooter.

The game is the sequel to the 2008 multiplayer hit and will arrive on March 5th on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It’s also the first Battlefield title since last year’s hugely popular downloadable game, Battlefield 1943.

We have significant pre-orders already, driven in part by the amazing assets released by the developer DICE in recent months,” product manager Will Graham told MCV.

Both public and retail awareness for Bad Company 2 is high right now, especially within the Battlefield fan-base.”

He added: While the first iteration may have lacked the polish in single player that the multiplayer did so well, this is addressed for Bad Company 2 for a rounded experience that will appeal to the mainstream consumer.

The multiplayer is going to be a step forward, even for DICE, and will prove they are leading the way in defining online shooter warfare. We genuinely believe there isn’t a developer out there that competes with DICE in this space, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is going to cement that.”

EA’s PR campaign for Bad Company 2 is already well underway, with a demo released for Xbox Live last month. The publisher is also working on a monster marketing push for the game’s launch next month.

The firm promises a ‘substantial’ TV campaign that will target the typical 16 to 34 year-old male gaming audience. This will be accompanied by print and online advertising in the core gaming publications ahead of launch, with mainstream press coverage planned for the game’s release.