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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sells 5 million

EA DICE's modern-day PC, PS3, and 360 shooter goes quintuple platinum just two months after its March launch.

Even before Battlefield: Bad Company 2 went on sale on March 2, analysts were expecting it to be a hit. That objective was quickly accomplished, with publisher Electronic Arts announcing the critically acclaimed game had sold--not shipped-- 2.3 million copies globally in just two weeks.

5 million Battlefield: Bad Company 2s leave a lot of destruction in their wake.

5 million Battlefield: Bad Company 2s leave a lot of destruction in their wake.

Further evidence of the game's success surfaced in April, when the March NPD report revealed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 had sold a combined 1.276 million units in the US alone. Today, as part of its annual earnings report, EA announced that the title, developed by its Swedish studio DICE, has sold over 5 million units worldwide to date. The M for Mature-rated game is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Part of Bad Company 2's success is due to the fact that DICE supports dedicated servers for the PC edition of the game. EA played up the difference between the game and Modern Warfare 2, which abolished dedicated servers in favor of IWnet, widely believed to be a precursor to a subscription-based service for the game.

A direct sequel to the 2008 console exclusive, Bad Company 2 picks back up with the derelict B Company, a fictitious unit of the expendable misfits and outcasts plucked from the US military's ranks. Destructible environments, a core component of the original game, were again front and center in Bad Company 2, thanks to further revisions to DICE's proprietary Frostbite game engine. The game also emphasized vehicular combat, with 15 different rides to choose from. The game is being supplemented with downloadable content as well.

170 Comments

  • aryanbrar

    Posted May 15, 2010 10:59 am GMT

    this game deserves it, amazingly fun

  • berio2toru

    Posted May 15, 2010 1:05 am GMT

    Y is everyone arguing... can't we just be awe inspired that a medium that is stigmatised and down trodden by the mainstream media and politicians is selling like hot cakes? That not watching films or television is a choice of the free minded person who likes their entertainment interactive and not shallow / stagnate.

    No game is flawless (apart from Bayonetta in its genre) and bfbc2 has its bugs (getting revived when you are about to chose a class and wake up paralysed wtf) but selling 5million units in 2 months is an achievement. I wuv bfbc2 because no game is the same, not even on the same map. MW2 is kwool but it gets boring when you can't blow a hole through a wall to get to your objective, or when a heli comes up and belly flops you in your face, or having a sniper duel with some biiitch 1-1.5km away, or finally getting that pesky UAV, or just running about like a headless chicken stabbing, or even just riding the jet ski and doing doughnuts in the ocean whilst all hell breaks loose around you (i wuv doing that cuz everyone starts shooting at you... doing jumps is pretty exciting too lol)

    Lets just basked in bfbc2 destructive glow and hope no UAV spots you and calls down a hell fire missile on your arse >.

  • chfpontiac

    Posted May 14, 2010 5:53 pm GMT

    @ Crapgamer

    For what it's worth, I generally agree with what you've said. Unfortunately, the FPS video game world has become quite fickle. It's now fashionable to be a Call of Duty:MW, MW2, W@W hater. I think it's quite funny when we know ALL of these haters were the SAME ones who were all about those titles when they were released; midnight releases, "this game owns", etc. Then the next best thing comes out and no one wants to be known as someone who played and loved those games...EWWW! For some reason you can't like the new and the old at the same time. And God forbid you DON'T like the new but still prefer the old model. You get flamed on here big time. Open your mind, people.

  • mouthforbathory

    Posted May 14, 2010 4:35 pm GMT

    I want my bloody PC exclusive BF3!

  • xCaLLeNisH

    Posted May 14, 2010 4:22 pm GMT

    grats on 5 mil. I play bc2 just as much as mw2 these days. Mw2 may have a larger playerbase but that doesn't make it better than bc2 as someone previously mentioned. They are both worthy of my free time.

  • Drak_Black

    Posted May 14, 2010 2:23 pm GMT

    Do people understand the fact that a lot of casual gamers play MW2 and Halo 3? Sales numbers do NOT make a great game, neither does daily activity for said game's multiplayer mode. I'm sure a dumb, ignorant, 25 year-old casual gaming male would be more likely to pick up a copy of MW2 over BF:BC2. Why? Because MW2 has the advertising force of a summer blockbuster film. The same goes for Halo 3.

    What makes a game good? The content, the graphics, the controls, the levels, the characters, the story. Sales numbers have NOTHING to do with how good a game is quality-wise.

    Grow up.

  • qweasd54

    Posted May 14, 2010 12:51 pm GMT

    @ The_crapgamer

    use the xbox live party system .. thats why its there lol

  • Pidr

    Posted May 13, 2010 9:40 pm GMT

    Everyone who cares. Give the BFBC some votes to show which games is the best www.goldenjoystick.com. THX

  • ExplosiveChorro

    Posted May 13, 2010 8:36 pm GMT

    love this game

  • xSyKrysusx

    Posted May 13, 2010 2:27 pm GMT

    Best FPS to date. Much respect to Dice studios.

  • Pidr

    Posted May 13, 2010 2:09 pm GMT

    I love BFBC2 foreverrrr until they give us BF1943 for pc with 32 players, and then BF3. All I can say it takes skill to play battlefield series and it only takes nerves to play MW2. MW2 was never good just way easier to play. More addictive? NO //More Realistic? NO //MOre FUN? NO ///EASY for noobs to camp the sH!T out of it? YESSSSS. Thats y its so popular, cause it takes NO SKILL to play at all. Anyone can empty a clip and get a kill at distance, try doing that on BFBC2. Ull get owned by burst fire. No more emtying clips and thats y people like MW2 more. Cause its for the lower class of FPS people. THX Don't hate the player, hate the game. So no comments on me how I suck and bla bla, just comment on the games...

  • CHAMPION6171994

    Posted May 13, 2010 2:02 pm GMT

    @The_crapgamer Did you know that in real war, sh#t blows up! And shotguns have ranges that extend beyond 2 meters! And Pistols don't kill in 4 shots while it takes a machine gun like 20! And .50 caliber weapons kill in like 1 shot and not 2! And there are no such things as heartbeat sensors! AND BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! Please, MW2 is just as realistic as Halo 3, which means it is not at all realistic, but Halo 3 is science fiction unlike MW2 which apparently takes place in modern times (the irony!). Don't ever think that MW2 or any other game is realistic, because so long as they are games, they will never be realistic, they can only strive to become as realistic as possible.

  • Headrush-AOZ-

    Posted May 13, 2010 12:15 pm GMT

    Elvis, Beatles, Stones, Eagles, Hendrix? So you listen to the radio alot. That's cool. That makes you an even bigger tool. Not that i would ever believe you listen to music. You reek of a simple mind. People like you are why gaming has gone to shyte. Enough of you for now.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 13, 2010 12:01 pm GMT

    @ Nodashi
    Well console only games die out fast on the Ps3 for sure. I already knew that, but on the 360 Halo 3 still has 500 thousand users daily and that game came out in 2007. COD4 on a weekend on 360 has 60 thousand and waw has around the same amount. Those games are years and years old. The First Gears still has a strong following as well.
    BFBC2 was just not my cup of tea. I didn't like it. I run a clan of about 100 older gamers and we like to get on shoot the breeze and chill in games together, Granted not all at the same time, but it's annoying to do in a game where you cant talk to each other, it takes the fun out of it.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 13, 2010 11:58 am GMT

    @Headrush-AOZ
    Actually I hoped in tanks and rarely died in BFBC2 on the beta. Though I only put in maybe an hour before I decided against buying the game. Good sales almost always means good games. Maybe not other media, though you can go by all time sales as a good indicator. I like Elvis, Beatles, Stones, Eagles, Hendrix etc... I don't listen to rap and have no clue who you were talking about? I just don't follow it.

  • Headrush-AOZ-

    Posted May 13, 2010 11:12 am GMT

    @The_crapgamer we get it. You sucked at bc2 we get it. Stop your complaining and go back to playing modern camper 2. And btw more sales doesn't equal a better game. Take a look at 50 cent. Sold millions of albums but he's an untalented pile of crap compared to say, raekwon. You probably listen to 50 cent too. Your a tool dude.

  • Nodashi

    Posted May 13, 2010 7:09 am GMT

    @ The_crapgamer

    Listen, damage indicator is in FPSs FOREVER, and if you wanna say "health recover" is copied, say it's copied from a LOT of games, like Gears of War. Thing is, the genre is always evolving and positive modifications are always copied by newer titles. MW2 is not revolutionary by any means - if you want to use something as reference, use MW1 instead - and at least BFBC2 has destructible environment, something that changes the gameplay of a team based shooter a lot more than prone or not prone (tough I'd really like prone in BFBC2, the lack of it really feels artificial). This and vehicles do make for a more fun game, my copy of MW2 is retired since I got BFBC2.

    Also, about longevity, a lot of people still play Battlefield 2 and even Battlefield 1942. You listed console only, exclusive games, and those tend to die fast, because they lack substance, they are only played because they are the FOTM (flavor of the month in case you're not used to game forums) and have pretty graphics for that week standards. If you want to talk about the strenghts of the CoD series, compare it to the other big guns - CS and Battlefield series, not some FOTM console game.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 13, 2010 5:41 am GMT

    @Assassin300
    If MW2 was bad, people wouldn't play it. If BFBC2 was as great as you are saying, more people would play it. The fact's are the facts. When people camp in MW2 it isn't going prone, it's usually because everyone's going for a killstreak and nobody runs with a UAV. I used to play Star Wars Battlefront 2 on the PS2 mind you, years ago and they had 32 man rooms and you could talk to evevryone on your team. It worked out great. Communication is key. I only run with clan members so I don't have issues with kid's or anything like that. However only being able to chat with 3 people on a team of 16? really limits your strategic opportunities. People cant warn you. Also, the maps on BFBC2 are so large that people still camp. It's not like I haven't played it, or noticed how they ripped off the MW2 hud and damage indicator. Also they copied how you recover health altogether. Vehicles and the lack of prone don't make for a more fun game.

  • Assassin300

    Posted May 12, 2010 11:30 pm GMT

    @The_crapgamer After reading all your "crap" you are a crappy "gamer".
    PPL thought MWF2 was Superb when it came out. Guess what. Its called "Modern camper" now.
    BFBC2 tries to make it more realistic but still retaining the "FUN FACTOR" no PRONE means less camping therefore the name "Modern Camper" comes from.
    Many ppl like enjoying teamplay. Unlike solo warfare.
    Yes u can't chat to ppl on opposing and friendly team members on console version. (hopefully im right)
    If everyone was speaking at one time we would be hearing screams and seriously who can type fast on console?
    In real war u are in squads. So talking to your squadmates is more essential then ur team. ALSO if you or your team members are TEAMPLAYERS they would constantly shell out ammo and med kits automatically. BFBC2 may not out sold MWF2 but it sure is picking up the ppl who now loathe MWF2.
    If you are constantly getting killed is mostly likely because you don't know how to take cover and how to aim properly since MWF2 has so many perks and the no gravity perfect shot. I like BFBC2 because of the effects. The SOUND quality The Intense firefights.
    The epic "HOLY SH** TANK, RUNNNNN!!!!" the "OMFG where my cover go" the " BOOM HEADSHOT" from like a km away with a sniper rifle
    O btw these are ALLLLLLLLLLL FACTS Sooooooooooo STFU "crap" ass "gamer"

    PS I rather play CS then MWF2 since at least CS has a bit more teamwork

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 5:26 pm GMT

    @dagrimmreepa
    I don't play P.C. games so I wouldn't know, what I do know is I cant even play COD4 it looks so bad on the eyes compared to MW2. So I doubt I could play CS. MW2 isn't terrible, I mean I just got off the game and there was about 1 million people on it. So I think not that many would be on it if it was awful. The COD games tend to have the longest shelf life, I mean 50 k can still be found on COD4 and a bit more on COD waw. Which is better then the likes of Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 and things like that. Plus if your into competitive gaming like gamebattles the 360 has like 40+ thousand GB teams on it for MW2, compared to like 1 thousand for BFBC2. It's just not a clan type of game.

  • dagrimmreepa

    Posted May 12, 2010 5:20 pm GMT

    @The_crapgamer IMHO the best multiplayer shooter is still CS. Which is kinda sad when you think about it...

  • chfpontiac

    Posted May 12, 2010 4:33 pm GMT

    @ inaka rob: Rock solid Comcast cable 30mbps with all connections good. Hardwired, not wi-fi. I've troubleshot the hell out of it. Google "BFBC2 freeze" or something similar. You'll find it is fairly common. Again, i've never had this trouble with ANY other game.

    Not sure a good connection will be enough. Game more and more has a MAG feel. Movement and feel is not polished at all. Has that $19.99 downloadable content feel. Cheap with bad framerate. Smoothness (though this game is hardly MW or W@W smooth) didn't make the transition from campaign to multiplayer. A shame. The campaign had an OK feel to it. Likely to collect dust on my bookshelf or get traded toward something else.

  • Inconnux

    Posted May 12, 2010 4:12 pm GMT

    I was very excited about this game... but when I went on Steam to buy it, there it was "Securom" infested... I know that they have now removed this malware, but I refuse to support any game that initially comes infested with that crap.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 3:17 pm GMT

    @dagrimmreepa
    A challenge isn't running to catch up to teammates you cant even communicate with and being blown up by a tank. BF2MC let you go prone and it was a lot of fun. BFBC2 isn't fun, get blasted respawn, run get sniped, respawn, run get blasted by a tank repeat......

  • dagrimmreepa

    Posted May 12, 2010 2:37 pm GMT

    @The_crapgamer if BC2 was realistic it would be boring as hell for most ppl. You got tanks that r a challenge to drive and planes/helos that are near impossible to fly. It would be like O:Flashpoint (which I enjoyed, but many did not because of obvious reasons)

    Prone is not available cos it's too easy to hide and camp that way.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 2:32 pm GMT

    @macwr
    Dipstick, I never said MW2 was like a real war, I said BFBC2 isn't realistic. It's not in the least. People hate it when I'm right, I state facts like more people bought MW2 on 360 then BFBC2 on all the consoles combined and people flip out. I'm not a huge MW2 fan either, but one thing that will make me hate a game right away is the ability to not go prone, I cant take it seriously.
    I play video games for fun, not realism but prone should be included in all war type games.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 2:29 pm GMT

    @MachShot Yo kid, I said BFBC2 claims realism and fails at it. I didn't say MW2 was more realistic, though COD4 certainly was and a much better game as well.
    I guess we'd win tons of war only being able to communicate to 3 people in our squad and not being able to go prone..lmao GG kiddo.

  • The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 2:21 pm GMT

    @GBPackersrule Mindless? I guess the over 1 million online users daily on the 360 version don't prefer it? I forgot the hype that was BFBC2, I mean we all went to the midnight launch right? Nope, that was MW2, also I said I wasn't a huge MW2 fan, just prefer it over BFBC2. Nobobdy on my friends list plays BFBC2, yet 75% play MW2. I love the "10 year olds screaming" statement, it's the same one I get when I mention nobody on PS3 has a mic and the ones that do sound terrible.
    Bottom line is I run a gaming clan, I play with them online, all over 18 and non screaming into the mic. On BFBC2 there is no way to communicate or coordinate for a battle. Nuff said.

  • AlphaWolF_J

    Posted May 12, 2010 12:13 pm GMT

    Best FPS ive played in years FACT!

  • maverick_76

    Posted May 12, 2010 11:25 am GMT

    So glad I have more options than Modern Camper.

  • LeadnSteel

    Posted May 12, 2010 11:15 am GMT

    finally something positive for EA. That game is quality! and if EA makes more good games like that than they won't have to worry about losing profit

  • maverick_76

    Posted May 12, 2010 11:14 am GMT

    This game owns, I love it!

  • djpetitte

    Posted May 12, 2010 10:34 am GMT

    Dice owns online warfare! Battlefield has been specializing in onlice warfare since 1942!(before cod even had a decent multiplayer) Cod's little 9 vs. 9 multiplayer without vehicles or destruction can NOT even compare to Bc2. Bc2 makes it look like SUCH poop.

  • Smarty12

    Posted May 12, 2010 10:34 am GMT

    Awesome! I'm so lovin this game on PC! Unlike Modern Warfail 2.

  • Get_Shorty

    Posted May 12, 2010 10:22 am GMT

    Not even close to what MW2 has sold.

  • I-Heroic-Pain-I

    Posted May 12, 2010 10:09 am GMT

    Actually I hear that soldiers in real life don't usally go prone or lay down in a battle. They say it's a lack of mobility.

  • macwr

    Posted May 12, 2010 10:07 am GMT

    @The_crapgamer


    Ur comparing MW2 to a real war? are u crazy? U must be a fanboy of mw2 or u just cant see the flaws that game has the broken game play over powered shotguns and rifles not to mention the perk call pay low ( i think i spelled it right) any who u cant compare a video game to a real life war! in real war u only have 1!!!!! life!!!!! u dont get to come back after getting killed. A game supposed to be an entertainment media u should enjoy playing the game how can u enjoy it if all ppl do is sit in dark corners with a shotgun waiting for some 1 to pass buy. combined with over powered perks and u have a guy that just sat through the match in a corner and than coming up on top of the charts at the end of a match i dont see any fun in that. Go play BF2 and try that same tactic i guarantee that u will be blown away with the wall ur hiding behind with in few minutes. @ MachShot Love ur comment.

  • GBPackersrule

    Posted May 12, 2010 9:58 am GMT

    MW2 realistic? Yup. That's how we won WW2. We lobbed grenades across city blocks and had them land at the enemies feet. You remember? We chucked knives across the battlefield and hit them in the brain. We ran all the way from Normandy to Berlin with no exhaustion. We sat there and waited for the enemy to come to us. Yup. That is how we conquered evil. We ran around and knifed everybody.

  • d3emondav3

    Posted May 12, 2010 7:43 am GMT

    Great news. I will love BF forever and wish it the best of luck in the future!

  • evilgamer22

    Posted May 12, 2010 7:28 am GMT

    Its nice to see BFBC2 doing well. I have always like the COD franchise and that includes MW2, but I personally like BFBC2 a little more. Both have the pros and cons, but they are both great games and you can't go wrong with either one. Also, even though I don't play on pc its still nice to see that DICE stuck with the dedicated servers, can't forget the pc gamers out there.

  • atc-fanatic

    Posted May 12, 2010 7:04 am GMT

    im glad ea and dice are happy with the sales. i personally think it should of sold more. because other skimped up titles sold more but didnt deserve it.

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted May 12, 2010 6:59 am GMT

    While the solo was much better then MW2, it just didn't have anything special in it like the first game.

  • The_crapgamer posted May 12, 2010 6:35 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    The_crapgamer

    Posted May 12, 2010 6:35 am GMT (hide)

    @xtremeflem2day I never said I was a huge MW2 fan. I said it looks like MW2 just on the 360 outsold all the units combined for BFBC2. That's just fact, though I will admit I stayed away from BFBC2 due to the lack of a prone feature, don't know about you but when bullets start flying I hit the deck. Also the lack of the ability to talk to your whole squad. 4 person chat is really, REALLY lame. Also the tanks are just everywhere, people blowing you up, respawn, run, get blowed up some more. Just not a fan. So in reality MW2 is more realistic because in real wars, people camp. Not that I'm a huge MW2 fan, just hated BFBC2.

  • Amz1217

    Posted May 12, 2010 6:11 am GMT

    well done EA and DICE....I'm loving this game and on top of this achievement they are already releasing a new 4 player co-op mode called 'Onslaught', happy days

  • smfes

    Posted May 12, 2010 6:07 am GMT

    i love it ! extraordinairy sound it's really incredible and lovely destruction ! Finally a high quality PC games !

  • DarkAngeles

    Posted May 12, 2010 6:00 am GMT

    @ccputgat2m Actually no, Day of Defeat and Battlefield: 1942 were together the first World War II shooters to get released, and both set the foundation for all other military FPS shooters you see now. Learn to get your facts.

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