There has been a lot of dancing around the subject, but no actual denial when it comes to the rumored Battlefield 3 Premium Service. We can happily confirm that the Battlefield 3 Premium Content Service is no rumor, and is definitely set to launch on June 4th, 2012, along with the double XP for PC players.

When the rumor first started circulating, we had a credible source, which turned out to be right. Now we have multiple sources which are all saying the exact same thing. The date may be subject to change as of now, since this post has gone live, but remember - it's coming, and with the mix reaction of fans, who knows where it'll take the Battlefield franchise. Here's some the information regarding Battlefield Premium. Thanks to our good friend 32bita:

"Battlefield Premium contains all 5 Battlefield expansion packs with early access, new camos, and exclusive in-game items for a one-time fee."

Now that it's confirmed, what are your thoughts?

Source: battlefieldo.com

PTFO Director’s Cut is a massive Battlefield 3 tournament created by MassNERDerer, presented by Pixel Enemy and in association with Battlefieldo. Including both YouTubers, subscribers and other community members alike across all three platforms (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360), Project PTFO is “the largest community event to ever hit the Battlefield” this May 21st.

Recently, Pixel Enemy published an official announcement trailer which we’ve included below for your viewing pleasure. Read here to learn more about PTFO Director’s cut and make sure to visit the official website!


Sources: mp1st.com & youtube.com

Yesterday, the first Battlefield 3 double XP weekend was announced. Players started earning double XP today at 12:01am PST only on PS3 and Xbox 360, and will continue to do so until Sunday night. Unfortunately, DICE wasn’t able to include PC for this event, and has decided to delay it until May 26th.

DICE has published a banner on the Battlelog announcing that the double XP weekend event has been pushed back for two weeks. The banner reads:

"PC players: Apologies for delay in your 2XP event. To give you a full weekend as planned, we’re rescheduling this for May 26-27."

DICE added on the official Battlefield Twitter account:

"We gave our developers 2 weeks to be sure that the game performs correctly for PC users. Why rush it, right?"

Sources: mp1st.com & twitter.com

DICE announced on Friday that it would add more Battlefield 3 servers run by the company after growing complaints from fans about only being able to find rented servers with custom rules on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Electronic Arts and DICE recently added the ability to rent servers for Battlefield 3 and run custom rules for $30 a month. These servers are generally run with custom rules and console gamers began complaining about servers with extreme rules or abusive administrators who banned players simply for playing better. Finding servers with the default rules has become increasingly difficult as a result. DICE Community Manager Daniel Matros responded to some of these complaints in a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) by saying:

"There is only so much physical space and digital space where you can have servers. The community requested [a rental program] and we delivered. Everything in the wonderful world of Battlefield is dynamic."

He later said that he had heard of these complaints for a while and it would be something he would raise with the studio. The developers at DICE must have been an understanding bunch as it announced via Twitter on Friday:

"We'll be adding more servers & will reserve a percentage of them for players who prefer DICE servers. Thx for your patience!"

Electronic Arts also provided an official statement to GamesBeats about the issue:

"DICE is not shutting down servers. If DICE-managed servers appear unavailable, it is because they have been rented and customized by players. DICE will continue to add servers and will reserve a percentage of servers for players who prefer to connect through DICE-hosted servers.

Custom Servers have always been extremely popular with Battlefield PC players. With Battlefield 3, we’ve introduced a Custom Servers program to console gamers. Response has been overwhelmingly positive. Custom Servers gives players the ability to tailor the settings and parameters of a given server, which directly affects gameplay. It also gives players more choice as they select which server and gameplay style they like best.

As with any new innovation, there may be some confusion among players who are experiencing Custom Servers for the first time. We encourage players to use server filters and “favorite” options to find the servers that best suit their play style. We have enormous respect for the Battlefield community and are listening to the feedback. It is our #1 priority to ensure all players are having the best possible play experience."

Sources: reddit.com, twitter.com & examiner.com

It looks like Battlefield fans can anticipiate a very interesting month in the Battlefield 3 universe this June and beyond. According to information we have received from reliable inside sources, we’ve learnt of a recent fact sheet that lists some interesting dates as well as some very interesting pieces of Battlefield 3 content that DICE and EA seem to have planned in the near future.

On top of some extra bonus content, including the Close Quarters DLC and a player guide, can fans also expect a Premium service to bundle these content drops together? Check out these release dates of upcoming pieces of Battlefield 3 content as listed on the fact sheet:

• 04-06-2012 – Battlefield Premium
• 12-06-2012 – Close Quarters
• XX-06-2012 – Guide
• XX-08-2012 – Bonus Content

Battlefield Premium: This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, seeing that EA has toyed with the idea of a subscription-based service before. However, it’s not clear whether Battlefield Premium is actually a subscription-based service or if it is simply a one-time cost that will cover the content included in it. The official description reads:

"Battlefield™ Premium will land you a number of content drops with unique in-game items not available anywhere else. First out is the one-of-a-kind Premium knife and black dog tag, plus a set of soldier camos, weapon camos, dog tags and Assignments that will make sure you stand out and get more personalization options."

If this comes to fruition, we can expect to learn more about it in the coming weeks before it releases June 4th, 2012.

Close Quarters: Close Quarters is DICE’s second Battlefield 3 expansion pack which will focus on tight, infantry-based combat and will include new 4 new maps as well as 10 new weapons and assignments. It will also feature the brand new game mode, Conquest Domination. While most of this was known earlier, what has not yet been revealed is it’s release date. According to this fact sheet, we can expect Close Quarters to drop June 12th, 2012, meaning PS3 owners will get a head start on June 5th, 2012.

Guide: Sometime next month, Battlefield 3 players can get the upper hand with this strategy guide, teaching you how to improve and become an even more skilled player.

Bonus Content: Not much is known about this bonus content, other than it will be available some time in August, 2012. It’s official description reads, enhance your Battlefield™ experience with this bonus content drop.

March 2013 DLC: We were also told a 5th, unannounced expansion pack is to hit Battlefield 3 sometime in March, after DICE’s already announced End Game expansion.

Double XP: Additionally, it has also been revealed that starting tomorrow, May 12th, until Monday, May 14th, Battlefield 3 fans will be able to earn double the XP as they play throughout the weekend.

Source: mp1st.com

Some fans feel that DICE has been ignoring the competitive community as it’s been some time that Esport goers, and even casual gamers alike, have requested a spectator mode or Battlerecorder in order to monitor competitive matches.

While it may seem this way, Daniel Matros, global community manager at DICE, stresses in a recent AMA on Reddit:

"I’ve been pushing and advocating esports ever since I started out 2 years ago. I wouldn’t say ignored the competitive community. We went balls out on Dreamhack and said that we are aiming for esports."

Many would argue that Battlefield 3 was partly advertised post-launch as having the capabilities to become a competitive title and that DICE failed to keep their word. Matros explained:

"That is why it is very important to stick with what you say. Things we say are never with worst intentions. Some things get left behind in a long dev process and get re-evaluated. That is why information can be pretty scarce at times."

When it comes to updating the game to accomodate the Esports community, Matros mentioned:

"If we decided that some other things need more experimenting and fixing we will go ahead and do those. Adding in features later in a game is expected these days in the gaming industry. We’ve got esporters here in the studio though. I come from that background, Niklas Fegraeus, Gustav Halling, Tim Kjell and I’m sure more people are into it."

Speaking about the much sought after spectator mode, Matros reveals that spectator has been discussed internally a lot as well, he continued:

"However, we aren’t confident with rolling out things that will intentionally break the game. Let’s face it, we had a long dev process for the [Frostbite 2] engine and the game and a lot of things were in the brighter light than spectator, such as making a great game for the majority of the players. I agree with the fact that spectator would be great to have though!"

Last month, we learned that DICE does, indeed, have a functional Battlerecorder within the studio. However, it is primarily being used as a marketing video editor for the time being. This was recently cemented even further when marketing video editor at EA, Randy Evans, recently tweeted:

"I’m not gonna lie, Battlerecorder is so much f*cking fun to use."

Allegedly, the only issue holding it back that it is currently, useless junk, in the words of one DICE employee. Meaning, it simply isn’t ready or functional enough to be released to the public. It’s clear that DICE has the competitive community in mind. The question is, when will these goals materialize in Battlefield 3. As Matros recently stated:

"What we’ve seen over the past year is that Esports is ganing a lot of ground, especially in Europe after a few years and it’s still rising."

He also reveals that there are still plans in store for the competitive community, mentioning that the BF3 road hasn’t ended yet you know. We still have some content ready for release in forms of DLC´s and will also update the game going forward. Do you still hope for Battlefield 3′s entrance into the Esports universe, or do you look to other games for your competitive fix?

Sources: reddit.com, twitter.com & mp1st.com

The biggest question we’ve been hearing from much of Battlefield 3′s console audience is, where did all the DICE servers go? This is in reference to the official DICE servers whose titles usually begin with ‘-[DICE]-’ and are usually centered around regular game rules and set-ups, providing a typical and expected Battlefield 3 experience which can be found in the console’s server browser.

With the introduction of the ability to rent private servers on consoles, players have noticed a steady decline in official DICE servers, meaning only rented servers, usually with tweaked game rules, are mostly visible. Battlefield 3 Global Community Manager Daniel Matros answers why in a recent AMA on Reddit, according to Matros:

"There is only so much physical space and digital space where you can have servers. The community requested an RSP programme and we delivered."

This makes sense, but at the same time, player should still be able to find servers that center around regular rules, set-ups and playlists that they’ve come to love. Luckily, Matros explains that DICE has taken notice of the feedback, Matros explained:

"I’ve heard this for a while now and the feedback has gotten louder. This is definitely something I will raise when I get back into the studio tomorrow."

When asked if the removal of DICE servers is a permanent move, Matros answered with everything in the wonderful world of Battlefield is dynamic, giving hope to those wishing for their return.

Sources: reddit.com & mp1st.com

EA has released today the financial results for its fourth quarter of the fiscal year. Among other Battlefield 3 highlights, EA reveals that new content for the game is set to release as early as this month.

The first expansion pack for Battlefield 3, Close Quarters, was revealed back in March with a June release date. However, the DLC might release sooner, at least to some. EA announced today:

"Battlefield 3 had a record year, establishing itself as one of EA’s premier game services and in the process successfully took share in the growing First-Person-Shooter market. Battlefield 3 players are still deeply engaged – Battlefield 3 sees 6.3 million monthly active users across all three platforms in March. New content downloads available in May and June."

As you know, PS3 players have a one week head start on other platforms when it comes to Battlefield 3′s DLC offering. This could explain EA’s promise of content in both May and June with PS3 receiving Close Quarters towards the end of May. However, there is also the possibility of other unannounced downloadable content not related to Close Quarters to be released this month. But what do you guys think it will be, leave your comments and thoughts below.

Source: mp1st.com