Battlefield 3 This Fall with 64-Player Support

DICE and EA reveal a few details about Battlefield 3.

The official Battlefield blog over on EA's website announces that Battlefield 3 will finally ship this Fall. The direct sequel will arrive just over six years after the June 2005 release of Battlefield 2 for the PC. The franchise itself originally kick-started with the release of Battlefield 1942 back in 2002.
Powered by the Frostbite 2 engine, Battlefield 3 will be a true successor to Battlefield 2 and include a single-player campaign, a co-op campaign, and 64-player multiplayer support for the PC version right out of the box. Unfortunately, little else was provided in the brief update save for an option to pre-order the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition without listing what the package will actually contain.

According to the blog, the first big reveal will be through the March issue of Game Informer. As with the blog, the magazine doesn't spill the beans on line, wanting anxious gamers to rush to their mailboxes or their local bookstore. However the magazine gives a little insight into why it took DICE so long to develop the third installment.

"DICE has honed the concept for the true sequel for years, but it wasn't until the company developed the powerful new Frostbite 2 engine that it felt all the pieces were in place to create a proper follow-up," the magazine teases. "Armed with powerful upgrades like deferred rendering, real-time radiosity, a new animation system borrowed from the EA Sports label, and an exponential leap in destructibility, executive producer Patrick Bach dubs Frostbite 2 'the best piece of technology on the market when it comes to building games.'"

Currently Battlefield 3 is heading to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC this fall. Expect more details to emerge as we get closer to GDC later this month.