If chat/server platform Xfire has played a part in the last ten years of PC gaming, it’s as a dependable adhesive, bringing players together and allowing them to fuse. While we’ve been preoccupied picking glue off our appendages, however, it seems Xfire have gone and created what they hope will be the “ultimate tournament platform” – a new service built around a universal point system for Call of Duty, Battlefield, Counter-Strike and the like. If you like that sort of thing, you’re likely to like this.
Battleground provides all sorts of impressive stuff as standard. Xfire host 24-hour servers, universal matchmaking, friend-tracking and score-keeping software, and the sort of heavy-duty anti-cheat system necessary to carve a path through the aimbot masses.
All of that’s just the baseline, though, for the competitive scene Xfire hope to nurture in their own grounds. They’ll do that with the help of regular sponsored events and Battle Tokens. The Tokens are meta-rewards for winning matches and tournaments across all Battleground games, and can be traded in for a chance at prizes in monthly sweepstakes.
Battleground doesn’t sell games, but rather plant feelers in your existing library – look here to find out what’s supported. The service is in closed beta right now – sign up at the Xfire site.