Surprise, Surprise: Battlefield 4 Is In Development, Beta Begins Fall 2013

After a leaked date claiming access to the Battlefield 4 beta would begin in 2013 for Medal of Honor: Warfighter buyer was posted, DICE – the developers – has since confirmed the legitimacy.

Battlefield 3 was in development for a while, but its sequel is coming in beta form a year after

A leaked photo claimed that people who bought Medal of Honor: Warfighter would get access to Battlefield 4, which seemed puzzling because Battlefield 3 was pitched as something the team at DICE wanted to do but waited for until the technology was available. With a sequel confirmed for next year, or shortly after we’re guessing, the value of a sequel seems to be lost.

DICE announced in a letter to fans on the Battlefield website the access to the beta through buying Warfighter, and went out of its way to talk about Battlefield which seems to be a reaction to people questioning why a beta is arriving two years after Battlefield 3.

DICE said it is extremely proud of Battlefield 3, but said the Battlefield 3 story is the beginning. DICE also said it was humbled by the response to Battlefield 3 Premium – the season pass-esque service which gets users access to all DLC map packs for a one-off $49.99 fee – and is excited about the upcoming map packs: Armored Kill, End Gamer, and Aftermath.

Why?

The studio didn’t share any more information on Battlefield 3 – expect more information at E3 2012 – and DICE referred to Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Pre-ordering the Warfighter Limited Edition gets access to the beta, which will happen in fall 2013.

It seems DICE will be alternative between Medal of Honor and Battlefield 3, perhaps a reaction to how Activision and Treyarch switch between developing Call of Duty titles. It means the studio will have a release every year, though the question of quality is then asked: Battlefield 3 seemed to be a multi-year project, while Battlefield 4 – if releasing in 2013 – will have been in development for two years and therefore could be iterative.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter is also similar to Battlefield 3 with a modern setting, which seems like a missed opportunity because DICE could have developed an alternative to Call of Duty.