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EA: Battlefield 3 preorders outdo franchise's last title

Electronic Arts says that preorders are now more than 10 times higher than they were for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger
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Battlefield 3 will be launching in a couple of months.
Battlefield 3 will be launching in just a couple short months. EA/DICE

The wildly anticipated Battlefield 3 has been catching on with gamers.

According to the game's publisher, Electronic Arts, preorders for the title are more than 10 times higher than they were for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the last title the company released in the franchise. It's an impressive feat. Last month, EA announced that it had sold 9 million copies of Bad Company 2 since the game's launch in March 2010.

Battlefield 3 is being called by some industry observers a possible Call of Duty killer. The game, which is scheduled to launch on October 25, is a first-person shooter that puts the gamer in the shoes of U.S. Marines. Gamers must work their way through several missions spanning Paris, Tehran, and New York City. Battlefield 3 promises gameplay that's quite similar to real-world battles--a hallmark of Activision's Call of Duty franchise.

At the E3 gaming expo this year, Battlefield 3--which will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC--won a slew of awards, including "Best Action Game" and "Best Online Multiplayer Game."

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• Battlefield 3 release date, beta announced at E3
• Battlefield 3 set to steal Call of Duty's crown?
• Battlefield 3 multiplayer videos arrive en masse

To coax more customers into buying the game, EA also announced today that anyone who preorders the title will receive a Limited Edition version. Aside from the game, those folks will receive the Back to Karkand digital expansion pack for free once it's made available. The expansion pack will retail for $14.99 when it's released at some point after the game's launch.

In addition, EA said that "select retailers," including GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy, will offer users free access to the game's Physical Warfare Pack, which includes three exclusive weapons. Those retailers will also be delivering eight multiplayer skins and five new dog tags to help users customize their in-game soldiers.

EA has initiated a full-court press on its Battlefield 3 promotion. Just a couple weeks ago, the company unveiled a new trailer for the game's multiplayer mode. Unofficial, leaked videos have also surfaced.