E3: Battlefield "Premium" on Sale Now for $50

[Greg Tito]

E3: Battlefield "Premium" on Sale Now for $50

EA competes with Call of Duty Elite on the PlayStation 3 first.

Call of Duty rules the shooter marketplace, but that doesn't mean Electronic Arts won't keep trying to unseat Activision's flagship franchise. The latest attempt from EA to do so was revealed at the E3 press conference this afternoon in L.A. with the announcement of Battlefield Premium. Premium is essentially the packaging of all the DLC released so far for Battlefield 3, as well as early access to new subsequent DLC packs two weeks before anyone else, but only if you play on the PS3. DICE representatives said PS3 owners are able to buy Battlefield Premium right now for a cool $50 (technically $49.99). PC and Xbox 360 fans of the shooter from DICE will have to wait a few more weeks.

In addition to the content, buying Battlefield Premium will also reward you with in-game stuff like dogtags and weapons, as well as strategy videos and access to extra in-game events. You'll also have the ability to wipe your character's stats clean to start fresh. You know, to clear your noob status so you're not laughed off the server.

The DLC packs you'll get with the service right now are Back to Karkand and Close Quarters which is out this week for PS3, with subsequent packs Armored Kill (Sept. 2012) Aftermath (Dec. 2012) and End Game (March 2013) all in the pipeline. End Game will also add motorcycles to the Battlefield 3 engine.

See all our coverage directly from the E3 2012 show floor. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/e3-2012]

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[Coach Morrison]

DICE representatives said PS3 owners are able to buy Battlefield Premium right now for a cool $50 (technically $49.99). PC and Xbox 360 fans of the shooter from DICE will have to wait a few more weeks.

They said ps3 owners would get access to close quarters early, you can buy it of origin right now.

 

[octafish]

I have no idea how I managed that double post. Stupid smart phones...

 

[octafish]

If you were thinking about picking up BF3 Back to Karkand is a must buy...CQB not so much. Maybe it might be worth it for die hard Call of Duty fans and the agrophobic.

DICE representatives said PS3 owners are able to buy Battlefield Premium right now for a cool $50 (technically $49.99). PC and Xbox 360 fans of the shooter from DICE will have to wait a few more weeks.

They said ps3 owners would get access to close quarters early, you can buy it of origin right now.

Can you play it now? Because pre-ordering isn't early access.

In addition to the content, buying Battlefield Premium will also reward you with in-game stuff like dogtags and weapons, as well as strategy videos and access to extra in-game events. You'll also have the ability to wipe your character's stats clean to start fresh. You know, to clear your noob status so you're not laughed off the server.

So this service will actually have weapons that can only be access through it...

*sighs*

Well, the only other question I have is if Premium runs out, and I have weapons that I unlocked with Premium, do I still have access to those weapons? Cuz this service is starting to look pretty cheap (and not in the good way...)

Seems more likely they would be day one unlocks after the furore about pre-order bonuses.

 

[WanderingFool]

In addition to the content, buying Battlefield Premium will also reward you with in-game stuff like dogtags and weapons, as well as strategy videos and access to extra in-game events. You'll also have the ability to wipe your character's stats clean to start fresh. You know, to clear your noob status so you're not laughed off the server.

So this service will actually have weapons that can only be access through it...

*sighs*

Well, the only other question I have is if Premium runs out, and I have weapons that I unlocked with Premium, do I still have access to those weapons? Cuz this service is starting to look pretty cheap (and not in the good way...)

 

[HolyLiaison]

Battlefield Premium is a one time payment. Once you get your stuff you have it forever.

It includes the 5 DLC's

Back to Karkand
Close Quarters
Armored Kill
Aftermath
End Game

20+ Weapons
10(?) Vehicles

Exclusive Dog Tags, and Camo, and 2 week early access to all those DLC's.

 

[Worgen]

Ahhh EA, wont be happy until people are forced to buy each game they release multiple times. I long ago lost any desire for bf3 and stuff like this isn't doing anything to change my mind.

 

[Coach Morrison]

If you were thinking about picking up BF3 Back to Karkand is a must buy...CQB not so much. Maybe it might be worth it for die hard Call of Duty fans and the agrophobic.

DICE representatives said PS3 owners are able to buy Battlefield Premium right now for a cool $50 (technically $49.99). PC and Xbox 360 fans of the shooter from DICE will have to wait a few more weeks.

They said ps3 owners would get access to close quarters early, you can buy it of origin right now.

Can you play it now? Because pre-ordering isn't early access.

In addition to the content, buying Battlefield Premium will also reward you with in-game stuff like dogtags and weapons, as well as strategy videos and access to extra in-game events. You'll also have the ability to wipe your character's stats clean to start fresh. You know, to clear your noob status so you're not laughed off the server.

So this service will actually have weapons that can only be access through it...

*sighs*

Well, the only other question I have is if Premium runs out, and I have weapons that I unlocked with Premium, do I still have access to those weapons? Cuz this service is starting to look pretty cheap (and not in the good way...)

Seems more likely they would be day one unlocks after the furore about pre-order bonuses.

No you can buy premium now and from what i understand get the benefits that don't involve dlc, the ps3 owners get the close quarters now and pc and 360 premium users get it next week.

 

[Vrach]

So, let's see:
Back to Karkand - most people got it by now, personally, I even got it as a pre-order bonus
Close Quarters - not what I play Battlefield for. No hate against it, I know there are people who like those kind of maps, heck, I'd play them if they were up for grabs, but I'm not paying money for something that's not my thing. I'm also guessing some people feel this way about Armored Kill (though I'd imagine there are less of those)

So, for me and a number of other people, that's 3 map packs for 50 euros (EU fucked over once more by the US, surprise surprise). Quite simply not worth it, not even with the two weeks earlier access (that as far as I understand from the OP, will be PS3-exclusive? ain't that lovely) or priority on server queues (kind of a dirty kick though).

Oh and exclusive weapons and all that crap? It's vanity weapons. "Stand out with your exclusive knife"? Yeah when using a knife, the last thing I want to do is stand out.

And that's not even taking into account the fact we have no idea what we're buying. Two of the final DLCs, End Game and Aftermath have literally no information to them yet. For all we know, one of them could be singleplayer focused (End Game sure sounds like it), which 99% of players wouldn't give a toss about (I love Battlefield, but the singleplayer sucks) and certainly wouldn't pay for.

So yeah, thanks but no thanks. Tell me what I'm paying for first, lower the price for those who have the map pack that's been out for months and came free with the pre-order second and then we can start talking.

captcha: Banana Republic, describe this brand with any word(s) - I love how my traditional "fuck off" 'answer' is appropriate here ^^

 

[ARCTIC_EAGLE]

the game still needs so much work they shouldn't be asking for money. I won't be wasting my money on this.

 

[Vrach]

In addition to the content, buying Battlefield Premium will also reward you with in-game stuff like dogtags and weapons, as well as strategy videos and access to extra in-game events. You'll also have the ability to wipe your character's stats clean to start fresh. You know, to clear your noob status so you're not laughed off the server.

So this service will actually have weapons that can only be access through it...

*sighs*

Wouldn't worry about it, it's mostly, if not only vanity weapons (one of them's a knife). Even if they were actually different weapons, you know how BF is about it, all weapons are pretty much the same, it's just diversity and what suits you better. The odds of the one best suiting you are in this pack are low and even if you 'won' that lottery, you have plenty of other weapons to choose from, the one from the pack won't be that different.

 

[Loud Hawk]

I bought it for PC a few hours ago. I was planning on buying all the DLC anyway, so it was a good deal.

 

[jayzz911]

weapons? well lets hope their ALL vanity or it's BS. I'm planning on buying back to karkand. No plans for buying close quarters. A game made with PC in mind gets first access on the ps3. Sense?

 

[CD-R]

edit: never mind I misred the post.

 

[Bloodtrozorx]

So they saw all the people that actually bought Call of Duty Elite memberships and thought "Hell we can do that!"

 

[markisb]

im a little confused here. is battlefield premium for people who haven't bout the game already or for people who want to buy it?

is this a case of dice/ea stabbing people in the back for buying their game early?

 

[anthony87]

So it's a once off payment for all present and future DLC along with a few vanity perks?

Why are some people saying that this is a bad thing? I mean if you're planning on getting every DLC pack then there's a chance you're actually saving money by getting Premium.

 

[INF1NIT3 D00M]

So it's a once off payment for all present and future DLC along with a few vanity perks?

Why are some people saying that this is a bad thing? I mean if you're planning on getting every DLC pack then there's a chance you're actually saving money by getting Premium.

This. Exactly this. You save 25 dollars altogether, over buying the packs separately. And you get the premium content. And you get early access.
So technically, one of the packs is FREE, and you get all kinds of exclusive content, double xp weekends, and developer videos.

It's a service, not a subscription.

When I first heard about it, my first instinct was to post on their news feed bitching about how I couldn't afford it as a college student, and how they were money hungry dicks. After seeing a guy do the math in one of his comments, I'm completely sold. I'll save up some money, buy this pack, and brush angry jerks off. This isn't a money grab. They're just trying to sell their DLC, and they're trying out a new way of enticing people to preorder by offering them the convenience of a one time payment and the promise of exclusive content.

I think that like me, a lot of people are jumping to the conclusion that because this is EA, they're immediately trying to screw you over. With the price point being $50, so close to the retail price of the game itself, the first association one makes is with buying the game a second time. I had a talk with a few fellow BF3 players about it, and we think the name plays a part in this perception as well. With the name "Premium" and the fact that it's called a "Service", there are some assumptions made that are not positive. It begs the assumption that non-premium players are "free" players, or that a "service" must have a recurring fee, since ELITE does in MW3.

I'd like to remind you all that Battlefield Bad Company 2 had the VIP system, and it worked in almost the same way. You bought your VIP pass, then you get early access to map packs, and you got a few exclusive maps. After that, they still expected you to pay another 15 bucks for coop mode, and another 15 bucks for Vietnam.
This way, they charge you less than 10 dollars for each of the expansions. You won't just have a guaranteed copy of each, you get to have your copy 2 full weeks early. The added Assignments, vanity items, double XP weekends and Developer Tips and Tricks videos are just icing on the cake.

 

[INF1NIT3 D00M]

So they saw all the people that actually bought Call of Duty Elite memberships and thought "Hell we can do that!"

No, Elite is a subscription, Premium is a one-time purchase that is essentially a preorder of all the DLC plus some extra vanity items.

im a little confused here. is battlefield premium for people who haven't bout the game already or for people who want to buy it?

is this a case of dice/ea stabbing people in the back for buying their game early?

No, you buy Battlefield 3, you get the base game. You may get Back to Karkand if you find a Limited Edition copy at retail.
Every expansion sells for $15, but when you buy Premium, you've paid $10 for each. Even if you have Back to Karkand already, the price you paid for each of the packs is $12.50, so it's still cheaper.
You also get the extra content that comes with buying premium.

So this service will actually have weapons that can only be access through it...

*sighs*

Well, the only other question I have is if Premium runs out, and I have weapons that I unlocked with Premium, do I still have access to those weapons? Cuz this service is starting to look pretty cheap (and not in the good way...)

It's not a subscription, so Premium never "runs out". You get a "new" knife, but it's visual only. It works EXACTLY the same way that the basic knife does, it just looks different in your hand and on the other guy's screen. You don't even get a new animation, it's used in exactly the same way.
There MAY be a full, new weapon added later through premium that you can't get elsewhere, but that's all speculation at this point. More likely it would just be a new model for an existing gun like this knife, or yet another exclusive skin. As for the other weapons/assignments added when you buy Premium, those come from the expansions themselves, not from the service. People running around with the AUG 93 or SPAS 12 have early access to Close Quarters and it's guns, they didn't get their guns directly from the Premium upgrade.