After a major controversy involving boycotts, a large amount of internet drama, and people cancelling pre-order bonuses, DICE has released a statement saying that they will make the pre-order DLC available later this year to all players for free.
In an official statement on the Battlefield blog, They stated that the Physical Warfare pack will remain available as a pre-order bonus, but those who don’t pre-order will be able to get it for free at a later date. The DLC isn’t on the game disk, so don’t think you can be smart and crack it.
A smart move on their part, gamers hate to be left out because they cannot or will not put down money in advance for whatever reason. Now that this drama is resolved, let’s place our bets on the next one. A similar thing happened with Battlefield 2 and there was a similar backlash when it was announced. Let’s hope that publishers across the industry understand that gamers have a strong sense of entitlement (whenever deserved or not) and they will bite and hard.
Maybe they should do what ATLUS does and give out free artbooks and such to people who pre-order. I have several from them and I love them.