I’m not going to bore you with another publisher’s financial report like I did yesterday, but instead I’ll give you a quick note on something interesting that popped up during EA’s FY2011 report. It appears Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3 may be getting mobile versions before the end of EA’s next fiscal year. On one of the physical reports EA sent out that lists every game they have scheduled over the next year, Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3 both have “handheld/mobile” tags next to them. The report states Battlefield 3 is slated for Q3 while Mass Effect 3 is now readying a Q4 launch (fiscal year).
It could be a typo or mistake for all we know but it certainly seems possible. The report has been live for almost 24 hours now and EA has yet to come out and clarify so all signs point to this being real. The real question is what will these versions entail?
Source: IGN
BrainDiver
I’m pretty ambivalent towards this news – it smells like a cash grab. I can’t imagine these games being nearly as good as their console/pc counterparts, but at the same time more ME3 can only be a good thing, right?
Matt W [Echo]
Right. What if the mobile version was just mining planets for resources, or something else you could do quickly on the go, and whatever you got in the mobile version transferred over to the full game?
There’s potential there, assuming they handle it right.
BrainDiver
Yeah, something that impacted positively on ME3 proper would be good, I don’t think it’s out of the question either – Dragon Age: Legends did something similar for DA2 I seem to remember.
Winkle
The only mobile device that I could see doing these two games justice would be the NGP. I defiantly consider purchasing if they were release for this device.
Foxhound_Solid
Drop it for xperia play and I am sold. Ngp and I am even more interested.
TSBonyman
ME3 on NGP? – Sold!
Kevling
Given that it says handheld/mobile, I imagine this is just a continuation of EA milking their main console games on iOS devices like they’ve been doing for quite a while.
We’ve recently had Dead Space 2, Sims 3, NfS Hot Pursuit etc., so I don’t think this is anything different.
Mind you, some NGP stuff linking back to the main console game would be good ;)
FoxHoundGabe
Makes sense, now that ME3 has been dealayed to 2012 when the NGP will be out already, it colud very well be that they want to implement some feaure, or maybe even release it on NGP too, and make it compatible with the PS3 version, like kojima said it could be done.
That would be awesome.
fattyuk
That would be sweet!
Mass effect started of as an xbox exclusive and ends up being the daddy in the ps3 and NGP … :D
The Lone Steven
Stop trying to milk it EA. At least wait a while after it’s release before considering mobile versions of the game.I have a feeling that EA will stretch their devs too thin by getting them to work on all versions at once.(if they do annouce the mobile version)
kaulitz
If battlefield 3 is anything like the iOS version of bad company it will be utterly useless. Graphics were acceptable but the controls where just too awkward even by iPhone standards.
The only shooter I have that works well is Brothers in Arms, utilising the gyroscope makes it much easier to play and the iPad two version was pretty good but no update to support the iPad 2 gyroscope.
I’m indifferent to iOS EA games, they seem to put out a game and seldom update it.