On the 23rd of June, 2008, Electronic Arts and DICE celebrated Battlefield 2’s third birthday. With it came news of a patch currently in development, in recognition to the millions of gamers who still continue to play the game to this very day.

This alone proves that Battlefield 2 is far from dead. The game itself is played competitively in Australia, New Zealand, and the world, in many different leagues making it one of the most popular FPS multi-player games ever created.

On the 13th of March, 2008, netGameRadio, an Australian based online gaming radio station, announced its intention of creating a Battlefield 2 $8000 online tournament for Australia and New Zealand gamers. In the true Battlefield 2 format, a 16 vs. 16 format was implemented, with the inclusion of the popular expansion pack, Special Forces.

The tournament would soon be known as The Battlefield 2 Masters.

This would be the first time in 3 years Battlefield 2 would see an online tournament with the largest Battlefield prize pool in Australia, and New Zealand history, since the games initial launch. And with its announcement came the most anticipated competition Battlefield 2 has ever seen.

With many requests coming from international mediums requesting the tournament to be made world wide, and if not, asking if netGameRadio could create a similar tournament for Europe, it was evident that The Battlefield 2 Masters had reached gamers far and beyond its intended audience.

netGameRadio will be handling all aspects of the competition, including the coverage of the event via a commentary method known as ’shout-casting’. Fans will be able to get a taste of Australia and New Zealand’s competitive best, simply by tuning in via the website.

It isn’t only netGameRadio who can see the value of creating such a tournament either. Prize sponsors ranging from GeCube Video Cards, through to G-Skill RAM, all saw the enormous benefit in supporting such a tournament. Not only them, but another major game publisher, Electronic Arts, has also stamped their seal of approval for the tournament with sponsorship.


Managing Director of NetGameMedia, netGameRadio’s parent company, Russell Norman, commented "We are very excited to bring this competition to the Australian and New Zealand Battlefield communities and to continue to support the Battlefield franchise now and in moving forward to future incarnations. The BF2 Masters, supported by netGameRadio, adequately represents our strong belief and support for online gaming".

Business and Marketing Manager for netGameRadio, Jonathon Griffiths, stated "This is a momentous occasion at netGameRadio as we bring an exclusive online event, with the largest prize pool since Battlefield 2 launched. This solidifies netGameRadio as not only the leader in online competitive entertainment, but as a mainstream commentary media for online events".


Battlefield franchise and DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment) producer, John Harlise, has also given his seal of approval on netGameRadio having previously given the station a world wide exclusive regarding upcoming production information on its products. The news made headlines on major gaming websites.

The tournament is set to start this Sunday, the 20th of July at 8.00PM. Listeners can tune in at the website http://www.netgameradio.com. The station runs from 6PM-12PM each and every night and includes APRA music content, gaming shows, and shout-casts.