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EA’s legal team have shot down a community project with a takedown request. The Revive Network have been working on providing multiplayer support for older Battlefield titles that because unsupported following the closure of GameSpy’s online services. For the last three and a half years, the group has been supporting titles but without EAs permission.
Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield 2, and Battlefield 2142 were the three titles by EA and developer DICE that the Revive Network was trying to resurrect since GameSpy’s services ended in 2014. The service had just under 1 million users. EA, rather than take full legal action, sent a rather casual letter to Revive, which they shared online.
"I write on behalf of Electronic Arts Inc. and its development studio DICE or, in other words, ‘those guys that make Battlefield’," the letter said.
"We’ve noticed that Revive Network has several projects and websites devoted to being a Medic by "reviving" older Battlefield games, including Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield 2, and Battlefield 2142. It’s great to see your enthusiasm for these titles. Not to brag, but we too get the nostalgia chills when booting up these classic entries in the Battlefield franchise.
"We need a favor though: we must ask that you stop throwing down Ammo Crates. In other, more legal-styled terms, please stop distributing copies of our game clients and using our trademarks, logos, and artwork on your sites. Thing is, your websites may easily mislead visitors to believe that you are associated or affiliated with EA – we’re the only ones that get to wear the "Official EA" dog tag. Since you’re Battlefield community members, we know that you are smart and helpful, and will respect that we must protect our intellectual property rights in the franchise.
Revive responded to the message on its website, saying, "As diehard fans of the franchise, we will respect these stipulations.
"Only a few months ago, we took on the task of bringing multiplayer services online for a fan-favorite, Battlefield Heroes. The public reception for our efforts on this title were massive, and we never expected it to become as big as it was. At this time, file downloads will be disabled.
"This is probably the part where we have to say goodbye. Before we leave the battlefield, we would like to thank all of the developers, artists, moderators, and last but not least every single player that helped make all of this a reality. Without you, it would not have become such a great time."
