When the Internet exploded after Infinity Ward announced the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 wouldn"t support dedicated servers, DICE saw an opportunity to win some populace points by announcing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 absolutely would. A small catch: The only way to host a private dedicated server is to rent one from one of DICE"s "authorized hosts," a policy that DICE explained in a little more detail to Eurogamer.

"This does not earn DICE a profit," said producer Gordon Van Dyke. "But we will see where the game goes and support it post launch."

That"s an ominous wording, and Van Dyke didn"t explain exactly where the rental fees -- if not in DICE"s coffers -- are going toward. But he insisted this was the only way to "protect the game"s integrity on PC," rather than making public the files the community would need to host private dedicated servers.