When DICE and Electronic Arts announced that they were going to release a download-only version of the new Battlefield 1943 many didn’t know how successful it would be. At the time it was considered an experiment to see what kind of revenue a download-only remake could actually generate.

EA announced during the USB Media and Communications Conference that Battlefield 1943 has been able to generate over $16 million in sales after Microsoft and Sony got their cut. This is not too bad for a graphically enhanced and limited remake of the father of the Battlefield series.

While Battlefield 1943 remake didn’t offer all of the bells and whistles of the original Battlefield 1942, what it did offer was the core feeling of the original game with the best maps from Battlefield 1942 with updated graphics; and that provided a combination that was quite the ticket for fans of the franchise. Perhaps most appealing to EA is that it didn’t really cost that much to make, and because of the scaled-down nature of the Battlefield 1943 release, it didn’t take that long to develop.

Sources tell us that the success of Battlefield 1943 played very heavily into the decision to attempt to take the download offerings for Battlefield to the next level with the release of the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam expansion add-on pack. The Vietnam add-on, while it does require a copy of BFBC2 to play, is a stand-alone gaming experience.

It will be very interesting to see if DICE and EA are able to replicate the success that they had with Battlefield 1943 with the Vietnam add-on pack.