Talking to IGN, Bethesda's Pete Hines talked about Brink's recent move to a free-to-play model. Yeah, it happened last week. Citing the game's age and the fact that it has been on sale recently for as low as 99 cents, he notes "Why don’t we just make it free? Like, why not?” Indeed.

“Todd Vaughn our VP of Development and I had talked about it and sort of kicked around this idea,” Hines told me. “Last year I think we had reduced it to like 99 cents [during a sale], and we were like ‘why don’t we just make it free? Like, why not?’”

“Just make it free and let people download it, and maybe they’ll buy the DLC and maybe they won’t, but let’s just try it.” Hines continued by saying “The game has been out for forever, how much money are we really making off a 99 cents [sale]?”

Back in 2011 we reviewed Brink, highlighting its great art direction and combat depth. Of course since then updates have only improved what was initially on offer. So yeah, why not indeed.

The first DLC pack for Splash Damage's Brink, "The Agents of Change", will be free upon its release early next month on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Steam for two weeks, where if you grab it in that time it will remain free for you, miss it though, and you'll be made to fork out cash-money in what is an interesting way to attempt to balance the ire of FPS gamers who feel they shouldn't have to pay for new maps, item updates and more, versus a developers need to make more cash and extend the playable life of their game (though Brink really isn't that old to be worrying about that aspect just yet).

The DLC features two all-new environments, five new player abilities, two new outfits, and two new weapon attachments, while also raising the level cap to 24.

In tandem with the DLC, the teams at Splash Damage and Bethesda have been hard at work on the next major title update for Brink. The update is highlighted by online optimizations, AI enhancements, and weapon balance tweaks based on player feedback. A separate, incremental update is now available on PC, while players of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of Brink can expect the full title update alongside the release of Agents of Change.

You can find out more details about the new content by clicking right here. There's no official word on pricing for the DLC after its two free weeks are up, but my guess is the standard AU$15-odd dollars for each platform. We'll give you more details when we have them.

As promised, AusGamers review for Brink -- one of the year's most hotly anticipated multiplayer games -- is now online. There's been quite a bit of polarity among reviewers for this one, with a little drama thrown in for good measure -- criticism that perhaps some publications didn't choose the right person for the task of reviewing such a complex, core-gamer orientated multiplayer shooter.

Fortunately, with AusGamers history deeply entwined with these kind of games, we have no shortage of folk that are very familiar with the genre. Nachos has spent the past few days with Brink on our behalf, starting off with the Xbox 360 version and finishing with some quality PC time and at 8.2 out of 10, the verdict looks pretty good.

Splash Damage has a strong history of creating solid team-based shooters—Enemy Territory of the Wolfenstein and Quake Wars varieties spring to mind—and a lot of love has been put into the multiplayer portion of Brink. The strange but cool thing is how linked single-player, co-op and competitive multiplayer are. They’re all set on the same maps with the same objectives, regardless of the play mode. That’s the strange. The cool thing is that the characters you create are likewise linked. Regardless of whether you earn experience in competitive multiplayer, co-op or playing alone through the campaign (challenges or in ‘Freeplay’), all of your hard-earned XP goes towards your character. This is a fantastic addition to first-person shooters and makes it feel less like the usual grind associated that’s with the definitive split between single and multiplayer modes in other games.

Get the full story in this AusGamers review

We've featured a lot of Brink trailers in the past few weeks as Bethesda and Splash Damage plough toward release day of their hotly anticipated shooter, so for those that are getting a bit sick of hearing about it, the end just might be in sight.

Today, they've sent along the obligatory launch trailer -- a new two minute clip feature a mix of cinematic and game-engine footage that sets the scene of the game.

Check it out below or click here for the HD version.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Bethesda have sent word letting us know that they'll be hosting a special public event at Brisbane's Mana Bar on Wednesday night, the day before the game's official Australian launch.

Brink is an immersive first-person shooter that blends single-player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay into one seamless experience, allowing you to develop your character whether playing alone, with your friends, or against others online. You decide the combat role you want to assume in the world of Brink as you fight to save yourself and mankind’s last refuge. Brink offers a compelling mix of dynamic battlefields, extensive customisation options, and an innovative control system that will keep you coming back for more.

This 'open to the public' Brink event will be held on May 11 from 5pm at the Mana Bar, Brisbane in Fortitude Valley. For more information on the Mana Bar please visit www.manabar.com.au.

The North American release date for the game is earlier still (Tuesday May 10th) so they'll already be playing it over there from the comfort of their own homes there, but this is still a good opportunity for any Brisbane gamers that want to check this one out before fronting up any (regionally inflated) cash. They'll also have some goodies from Bethesda and Turtle Beach to give away there.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

With Brink due on shelves this week, Bethesda continues the trailer onslaught today with a new video comparing the in-game free-running movement -- dubbed SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) -- with footage of real-life parkour master Daniel Ilabaca traversing the London cityscape.

Check it out below or click here for HD.



Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Only a week left now until Brink launches in Australia and Bethesda's marketing machine have sent us yet another video in their "Get SMART" gameplay tutorial series.

Today's video deals with the real meat of the game, the player-classes and their roles and abilities. Check it out below or click here for HD. If you missed the previous four, you can find all of those and more on our Brink game page.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

With just over a week to go before the Australian release of the hotly anticipated Brink, Bethesda and Splash Damage have sent along the fourth video in their tutorial series. Today's clip provides a run down on the game's head-up display (HUD), describing in detail what the various indicators represent.

Watch it below or click here for the HD option. If you missed the previous three, you can find those and more on our Brink game page.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Following this morning's splendid news regarding dedicated servers, Bethesda have sent along another video in their "Get SMART" tutorial series for Brink (S.M.A.R.T. being an acronym for the game's Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain system, FYI).

One of the big detractors of Splash Damage's previous games has been the very steep learning curve. While that complexity in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars might have made for a very rewarding experience for seasoned players that stuck it out, it set the bar too high for many newcomers who would simply walk away from the product in frustration, hindering growth in both of those games beyond a core community.

The developers appear to have recognised this weak point and not only are many of the in-game interfaces and directions looking vastly improved, but these detailed tutorials seem like a great way of introducing new players to the game's non-conventional aspects. Let's hope these aren't purely for promotional purposes and are actually included with the game.

Tutorial number three gives a detailed overview of general gameplay, with a multitude of tips to help you stay in the fight.

Watch it below or click here for the HD option. If you missed the previous two, you can find those and more on our Brink game page.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

At long last quelling the concerns of seasoned PC gamers, Bethesda and Splash Damage have officially confirmed that Brink will support standalone dedicated servers, meaning that anyone that wants to run a game server for the PC version of the game.

A brief PDF FAQ goes further to explain that they hope to have the server software available for download on Steam ahead of the game's launch, giving all server providers (and anyone else for that matter) ample time to get their servers running for day one.

The Brink Standalone Dedicated Server includes several different game configuration files covering all of the regular game modes, including campaign, stopwatch, objective, and co-­-op challenges. In addition, there are a variety of server-­-side commands available that allow you to further customize your server, including team sizes, time limits and overtime, warm-­-up rules, friendly fire, voice chat, availability of Command Post buffs, rank restrictions, number of bots, and password.

The document certainly says all the right things. Now let's all hope that the game turns out to be as good as it looks and that its success prompts other multiplayer developers to follow suit.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

As Brink's launch date inches ever-closer Betheseda and Splash Damage continue their "Get SMART" tutorial series today with an overview of the game's objective system.

This 5 minute clip -- featuring more all-new in game footage -- takes an in-depth look at the many different objectives that you'll be tasked with across Brink's amalgamated singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay. It also offers a great look at the game's slick HUD interface, an aspect that often gets hidden in gameplay trailers for aesthetic purposes.

Check it out below or click here for the HD option.

As the release date for Brink edges ever-closer, Bethesda have released the first in a new series of trailers titled Get SMART -- a tutorial of sorts offering helpful advice on general gameplay, starting with "The Basics".

Additionally, this new clip offers some fresh footage of actual gameplay. Check out the video below or click here for the HD option.

Brink is due in Australia on May 12th 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Bethesda have given us the skinny on just what Brink's Steamworks housing will offer, as well as the best and minimum requirements your rig will need to run the multiplayer-centric title.

Steam features include VOIP support, Steam Achievements, Valve Anti-Cheat support, Steam Cloud, Friend support (including invites and joining session in progress), Leaderboards and... drum roll please, Dedicated Servers. We're in a bit of a good position at the moment to grill the team about more details regarding dedicated server support, so stay tuned in the next little bit for more.

As for PC system requirements:

Minimum

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent
  
• Memory: 2GB RAM
  
• Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GS/AMD Radeon HD 2900 Pro or equivalent
  
• OS: Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/Windows 7
  
• Hard Drive: 8GB of free space

Recommended
• Processor: Intel Quad Core i5
  
• Memory: 3GB RAM
  
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460/AMD Radeon HD 5850
  
• OS: Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/Windows 7
  
• Hard Drive: 8GB of free space

So there you have it. They certainly took their time getting this info to us, but on the surface so far, it all sounds very promising. As mentioned above, stay tuned for more details very soon, right here on AusGamers.

In an amazing departure from the norm, the release date of Brink has changed to be earlier than originally announced - we can now expect to see it in Australia on May 12th instead of May 19th:

Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced that its acclaimed first-person shooter, Brink, will be available one week EARLIER than originally scheduled.
...
"Production wrapped on Brink earlier than we planned and we didn't see any reason to keep gamers from getting their hands on this highly anticipated game as soon as it was ready," said Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. "It's apparent from the tremendous reaction so far that people are eager to jump online and play, and if we can make that happen earlier - we're going to."

A nice change of events. Our Brink game page has more information about this shooter. There's a lot of people waiting to see if they can bring back classic PC first person shooter action with this title - I've just asked Bethesda if there's plans for a demo or multiplayer beta, so will let you know if I hear anything interesting back.

A new Brink trailer has appeared, showing off some more of the furious FPS action we can expect to see in Splash Damage's next team-based multiplayer-specific title. The video, titled "Ready and Able", showcases some general gameplay as well as a few specific character abilities, like hacking an enemy turret to make it fire on its own team.

You can watch the video now embedded below, or head over to the view page to watch or download the high def version!

As always our Brink game page has more information. Gamers looking for a pre-order bargain might also be interested in Eorl's thread on the forum!

Bethesda and Splash Damage have released another new gameplay trailer from their hotly anticipated upcoming shooter Brink. This latest clip is titled "A Matter of Class" and focuses on the game's objective-based gameplay with the various player-classes and how they work together on the battlefield.

Also revealed in the video are scenes from the Security Tower map and several other Ark districts that were playable in the demo that Splash Damage showed off at the PAX East 2011 event last weekend in Boston.

Check it out below or click here for the HD option.

Brink is due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 19th 2011.

Bethesda have sent along a new batch of images from the hotly anticipated shooter Brink, currently in the works at UK-based Splash Damage (Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, ET: Quake Wars). An assortment of in-game screenshots and concept art, today's images show off yet more of the vibrant art style that Splash Damage are now polishing up in their first crack at an original franchise.

Check them all out here on AusGamers




Brink is due on May 19th in Australia for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Bethesda's 2011 is looking very bright with release dates now confirmed for their four top-tier titles. Brink, the hotly anticiapted first person shooter from Quake Wars developer Splash Damage will hit Australian shelves on May 20th (U.S. on May 17).

Also confirmed today is the launch day for Hunted: The Demon's Forge, the third person shooter most easily described as a fantasy Gears of War will reach our shores on June 3rd (following U.S. on June 1st).

RAGE from id Software and the massively anticipated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are still on schedule with September 16th and November 11th dates respectively.

Bethesda and Splash Damage have sent along some new information for the hotly anticipated Brink, offering up some more gameplay and some insight into their extensive audio-recording process.

For the latest trailer, "Choir of Guns", hit the embed below or click here for the HD option.

In the video, you'll find a gameplay clip that showcases many of the different guns in various configurations as they are modified with the game's extensive customisation options, which is a feature developer, Splash Damage, has touted since the game's initial announcement.

Perhaps more interesting in the gameplay video though, is this new developer blog from Splash Damage's Audio Director Chris Sweetman, who describes just how intricate they're getting with the sound effects for this game. One of Sweetman's previous works was the acclaimed shooter BLACK at Criterion Games, and those who've played that no doubt recall just how good its sound was -- so it's very cool to hear that they're taking things even further for Brink. A must read for anyone that's hanging out for Brink.

Brink is due on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Autumn 2011 (U.S. Spring).

The fifth and final developer diary for Brink has landed, and we have it up for you now, right here on AusGamers.

This last video goes a little bit into the sound behind some of the weapons in the game (including a sniper rifle that sounds like "God coughing" when it fires), and also introduces some of the talented people involved in the project, such as Richard Ham who worked on Fable II and Neil Alphonso who worked on Killzone 2.

Check it out embedded below.