DICE kills classic Battlefield game after years of service

EA's Battlefield series has been going for some time, and it's only recently that we've been spurred to consider its place in the gaming world. Battlefield has run alongside Call of Duty while never putting out quite as many games (as that would be one hell of a feat), but always considering how to stand out.

At least Battlefield hasn't sunk into the generics and comfort of its competitor, and while Battlefield 2042 gave this a crack once again, its bugs and glitches dismantling the experience.

Fans are left wondering what's left for the franchise to conquer, but even so, as one title waves a final farewell, players are reflecting on the joys of the series.

Battlefield 1943 says a teary goodbye

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In a new interview, the teams behind Battlefield 1943 bid a fond farewell to the console exclusive that was once toted as a "best of Battlefield" game.

Today (April 28) Battlefield 2043 will be removed from all digital storefronts, keeping players from downloading and playing it entirely. It's a shame to see a game of such stature entirely depart - and it looks like its team is pretty upset about it too.

Speaking to GamesRadar, Lead Producer Patrick Liu gushed, "It's sad, of course, that no one will ever be able to play that game again. It's a bit of history that's being lost. But I understand from a technical and commercial standpoint that it doesn't make sense to run it anymore.

"Some games have been open-sourced in the past, so that the community can run their own servers, and if that could be another option for EA in the future, that would be nice to see. But, if not, it had a good run, and I'm just happy that I was part of that."

Battlefield 1943 was controversial

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For those who weren't around for the console-exclusive bolt-on of Battlefield 1942, the game was a pretty controversial twist on the Battlefield formula. "From a creative standpoint, there were a lot of things that we did that were very controversial at the time," Liu continues.

"One example is that we had infinite ammo. We wanted to get rid of the need to go back to base somewhere and replenish your ammo, but also wanted to maintain the tactical aspect of taking cover and reloading before going back into combat.

"So we landed on having an infinite number of clips, but you still needed to reload when the clip was empty. In the same fashion, we had an infinite number of grenades, but with a cooldown in between use, to ensure there was still some restraint."

Battlefield 1943 was clearly something of a trailblazer, and when it launched on the PSN Store and Xbox Live Arcade in July 2009, it quickly shattered records to become the fastest-selling digital game of all time within just 24 hours.

If it wasn't for Battlefield 1943 struggling with servers, DICE wouldn't have spurred into working on the infrastructure we see today. Sure, it might not have reached highs like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, but it's a shame to see this bite-sized Battlefield depart. Requiescat in pace.