Business news site Forbes posted a story today talking about Battlefield Heroes and the potential the game has as being one one of the first major free to play games in the United States.

Ben Cousins, executive producer for the "Battlefield" franchise, says the interest in the title has been overwhelming. A cartoony take on what has traditionally been a gritty shooter, "Heroes" focuses solely on the multiplayer matches that have made the franchise so popular. When the studio announced a contest for invites to the game, the site received some 8,000 posts in two days that ultimately crashed the "Heroes" site server. Currently, the "Heroes" site has 170,000 registered users and a quarter million page views a day.

As a free game, "Heroes" will tap into banner advertising and sales of virtual goods, such as helmets, parrots and guns, for its revenue. EA declined to share its financial expectations for the game, but Cousins says that as long as 5% of players are spending money (which in other titles works out to $10 to $15 a month per player), it’ll keep the service going. Read the Rest...