Battlefield 3 conquers charts, sells five million copies

War has a new face. Battlefield 3, the online multiplayer orientated follow-up to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has become Electronic Arts’ fastest selling title of all time, with over five-million copies being sold since its October launch. According to EA, Battlefield 3 has generated well over US$500 million in revenue.

Single player, co-op online and an evolutionary multiplayer mode has rocketed Battlefield 3 up the charts, eclipsing popular stalwarts Batman: Arkham Asylum and Just Dance 2. EA vice president, Patrick Soderlund lauded Battlefield 3’s success, saying:

“From Tokyo to Los Angeles, Sydney to London, millions of fans have been playing all weekend long — we are overwhelmed by the global response to Battlefield 3. Already, we are seeing unprecedented play times and online activity which is very rewarding. This launch solidifies Battlefield as a leading entertainment brand.”

The launch, one of the biggest ever for an online title placed undue strain on the EA servers, causing many matches to disconnect but the team behind Battlefield delivered workarounds to combat the server issues. EA mentioned that online play was “98.9% stable” over the weekend of the launch.

The Battlefield 3 Blog mentioned its overwhelming success. “This has been our largest launch to date. The overwhelming response has been as humbling as it is appreciated. Battlefield 3 is the fastest selling game in EA’s history, but is not without its ups and downs,” it said.

Battlefield 3 will survive on the power of its multiplayer mode, as the single player game has been singled out as a linear copy of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise. Its online multiplayer though, is a dynamic experience which is expected to enjoy the staying power of the previous Battlefield release. With the Frostbite 2 engine, lag-free multiplayer and dynamic sound powering the experience, Battlefield 3 will remain gaming king for just a little while longer.