EA Goes All-Out With ‘Battlefield 4′ Launch Merchandise

After the critical and commercial success of Battlefield 3 and its subsequent expansions, it was all but guaranteed that DICE would develop another sequel eventually. Not only that, but with other developers stepping up their pre-order and special edition loot, it’s no surprise that EA is pulling no punches with the launch of its official Battlefield 4 merchandise. As the award-winning franchise update seeks to push the boundaries of immersion – evidenced by several jaw-dropping gameplay videos thus far – so too does it want to shove as many products through the pipeline as possible. The question is: is it really necessary?

Everything from novels and art books to custom console controllers and tablet cases has been conjured up to help sell the full experience. While this type of marketing is fairly commonplace for triple-A releases, EA has outdone itself with the sheer over-saturation of products like vinyl wall art, Jinx clothing, and iPhone cases. However, items like branded performance gaming peripherals are standard for Razer, who often couple up with big releases to help sell their own gear.

More interesting is Peter Grimsdale’s novel Countdown to War, detailing the events that lead up to Battlefield 4, which drops October 29th for most major consoles. Adapted material is typically hit-or-miss, but EA hopes to create a broader atmosphere with this addition to the franchise. The full list of products are below:
Orion Publishing Group Battlefield 4 novel written by Peter Grimsdale
Titan Books Battlefield 4 art book in Standard and Limited Editions
Razer performance PC gaming peripherals and accessories, including mice, keyboards, headsets, messengers bags, and iPhone® cases
PDP performance Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers
Qpad premium PC mouse mats
Jinx clothing apparel and accessories including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, key chains and dog tags
Prima Games Standard and Collection Edition strategy guides
Cook & Becker Battlefield 4 artwork
Walls360 Battlefield 4 wall graphics
BigBen Interactive mobile device and tablet cases

Ranters: what from this flood of merchandise piques your interest the most? Do you prefer to get an in-depth look into the story, or simply get your hands on a Battlefield-branded controller with which to destroy your opponents? Let us know in the comments below!