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'Battlefield 4' glitches take toll on Electronic Arts 

IMAGE: Electronic Arts EA exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2013 fair
An overview shows the Electronic Arts EA exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2013 fair in Cologne, Aug. 21.Ina Fassbender / Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO — Video game publisher Electronic Arts said on Thursday it halted development on upcoming projects of its "Battlefield 4" game to fix technical problems that have plagued the title recently.

Gamers playing "Battlefield 4" — a military-style shooter that is the company's most-anticipated holiday title — have been complaining of crashes and online connectivity issues since its October launch.

Shares of Electronic Arts finished down 6 percent at $21.01. 

"We're not moving onto future projects or expansions until we sort out all the issues with Battlefield 4," Electronic Arts said in a statement.

The company had planned five "Battlefield 4" expansion packs with additional content for next year without announcing release dates.

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Electronic Arts has temporarily put development on upcoming titles on hold to give current problems full attention, an Electronic Arts spokesman said.

"The work being done to stabilize Battlefield 4 does not impact our release schedule for future titles," he added.

Since the game launched on platforms, including the new PlayStation 4 from Sony and Xbox One from Microsoft, sales have been weaker than expected, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in a research note this week.