'Arma 2' shooter to become free-to-play

(All rights reserved - Bohemia Interactive)

Bohemia Interactive's modern military shooter Arma 2 is to be stripped down and reissued as a free multiplayer download.

The mid-June download will jettison support for high-end graphics, user-created mods, and the single-player story campaign.

In exchange, Arma 2: Free includes access to the full game's multiplayer with over 300 weapons, units, and vehicles, plus a mission editor.

Giving away the base multiplayer at no charge while ensuring its graphical requirements remain low opens up Arma 2 to a much wider audience.

Those who like what they see can upgrade for the full experience - or simply hang on until midway 2012 for Arma 3's projected arrival.

The Battlefield and Ghost Recon series are also readying free versions of their own games, with both Battlefield: Play4Free and Ghost Recon: Online going through a public beta testing period.

http://www.arma2.com/free