EA Explains Battlefield 3 Server “Disappearance”

Earlier this week, a report from VentureBeat suggested that EA was shutting down some of its own Battlefield 3 servers, namely those under the “DICE” name.

While those Battlefield 3 servers have disappeared, EA says that it isn’t what it seems. In a statement sent out earlier today, the publisher says that the DICE-owned servers have not actually been taken down, but instead were rented and renamed by their new owners.

“DICE is not shutting down servers. If DICE-managed servers appear unavailable, it is because they have been rented and customized by players,” EA explained. “DICE will continue to add servers and will reserve a percentage of servers for players who prefer to connect through DICE-hosted servers.

“Custom Servers have always been extremely popular with Battlefield PC players. With Battlefield 3, we’ve introduced a Custom Servers program to console gamers. Response has been overwhelmingly positive. Custom Servers gives players the ability to tailor the settings and parameters of a given server, which directly affects gameplay. It also gives players more choice as they select which server and gameplay style they like best.”

EA’s explanation for the disappearance of DICE Battlefield 3 servers doesn’t fix the problem entirely, however. The reason why gamers preferred to stick to official servers, such as the DICE-owned ones, was to avoid custom servers run by admins of the unsavory variety. With all DICE servers gone as of right now on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, that leaves gamers few options.

Do you play on custom Battlefield 3 servers, or do you prefer to stick to the official ones?