The jokes write themselves
At E3 2014, DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson told Game Informer that the studio has a desire to further involve its community in the development process, possibly along the lines of what we’ve seen on Steam Early Access. Yes, paid alpha/beta access.
“We have nothing to announce, but we are having discussions when it comes to [early access],” Troedsson said. “It comes not from a business perspective, but more from a perspective of if it would help us have a stable launch of the game.”
Which would be gross, given the resources of Electronic Arts and DICE — these companies should be more than capable of achieving a stable launch without relying on fans. Not that this hypothetical is much different from the current reality we find ourselves in with Battlefield.
EA And DICE Considering Early Access For Future Battlefield Titles [Game Informer]