In the few past week, rumors have been speculating at a public beta for Bad Company 2, however, the rumors weren’t clarified. That is until now. Exclusively for the PlayStation 3, starting November 19, PlayStation 3 gamers will be able to experience the unprecedented action, destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open sandbox environments that only Bad Company 2 can deliver in the form of a private multiplayer beta.

The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer beta will feature the “Arica Harbor” map, where up to 24 players can compete in one of the game’s four intense multiplayer modes called “Rush”. The new map displays a superb balance of vehicle and infantry combat, as the American assault unit attacks the Russian army base with full force, advancing further through a beautiful desert town and towards the industrial area in a desperate attempt to overtake the Arica Harbor.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for PlayStation gamers to get early access to one of the most action-packed and polished shooters in the marketplace with Battlefield: Bad Company 2,” says Rob Dyer, SVP, Publisher Relations, SCEA. “We’re happy to help DICE achieve their superior level of multiplayer excellence in the game.”

Along with that, early next year, players worldwide will be able experience Bad Company 2 when DICE releases a multiplayer demo on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

It’s official! DICE announced today that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available March 2, 2010 in North America and March 5, 2010 in Europe.

“The variety of weapons, choice of vehicles and scale of destruction in the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sandbox environment generates countless unscripted and unforgettable moments,” said Karl Magnus Troedsson, Executive Producer Battlefield Franchise, DICE. “When Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ships in March, it will deliver the best online multiplayer experience ever.”

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will deliver a level of destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open world environments never before experienced in a modern warfare action game. By pushing destruction to new heights and delivering a host of land, sea and air vehicles, players will soon witness the best-in-class online warfare experience.

As you make more games you learn things. Anyway, DICE has stated that it has learned its lesson from Battlefield: Bad Company and plans to do a better job on the sequel.

When speaking with GameIndustry.biz, creative director Lars Gustavsson revealed that the developer was so used to developing shooters for the PC crowd, it had underestimated consoles users.

“To me, Battlefield: Bad Company was an eye-opener, and for a very long time I think the PC audience was seen as the hardcore, the most competitive and dedicated audience. Maybe at one time that was partially true, but now we definitely see a fanatic shooter audience on console.”

“I think one of our biggest mistakes with Battlefield: Bad Company for example was that when we started making it, laying out the plans, the view on the gamer was that it’s a console audience, and we need to treat them a bit more gently, since they’re less experienced.”

“Well, when we shipped it – it was quite a long project – the audience had grown, matured, played more online… so they knew what a shooter on a console should be like, what to expect,” he stated. “So I think in some areas, as lead designer on that project, I feel that we could have done a better job of meeting those expectations, even though I was extremely pleased with the project.”

Why EA, why? In a conference call earlier on today, it was revealed by EA CEO John Riccitiello that both Mass Effect 2 and a sequel to DICE’s Battlefield: Bad Company would be releasing within the first three months of 2010.

According to Shacknews, who originally reported the story, Riccitiello, during the conference call, said that Mass Effect 2 will arrive on multiple platforms, which means it could hit both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But, however, when they asked about about specific platforms for Mass Effect 2, an Electronic Arts representative told Shacknews that no details were available at this time.

Any-how, both games will now be released during the fourth quarter of the publisher’s 2010 fiscal year, which runs from January 1 to March 31.

Well, this comes as no surprise what so ever, but if you are a fan start jumping because it looks like things are competly about to change for you after this announcement.

DICE has officially announced there development of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the sequel to last year’s blockbuster title. And the game is set to use the same engine as in the other game, the Frostbite engine so you know it’s all about ‘destruction.’

In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the ‘B’ company fight their way through snowy mountaintops, dense jungles and dusty villages. With a heavy arsenal of deadly weapons and a slew of vehicles to aid them, the crew set off on their mission and they are ready to blow up, shoot down, blast through, wipe out and utterly destroy anything that gets in their way.

“Bad Company 2 takes everything that players liked in the original and ups the ante – more vehicles, more destruction and more team play,” said Karl Magnus Troedsson, Executive Producer Battlefield Franchise, DICE. “Battlefield 1943 is a new take on a blast from the past classic coming to life with brand new technology that we’re eager to get into players hands.”

According to Variety, EA is planning on producing sequels to recent hits Army of Two and Battlefield: Bad Company. This news comes from EA boss, Frank Gibeau, who loosely confirmed EA’s plans for some new franchise iterations in an interview with Variety.

“If you look at the year “Gears of War” shipped the first time, it was one of the best sellers. “Bad Company” has come out and done very well. “Army of Two” sold very well. We’ve got sequel ideas planned for those.” -Frank Gibeau

There was also some talk about there being some new toys for their recently released game, Dead Space because EA is talking to some partners about it. There’s was also talk about there being a Dead Space movie in the making and EA Redwood Shores general manager, Glenn Schofield, also revealed that there is a “Dead Space” sequel is already in the works.

[Army of Two sequel, Dead Space movie talks, and more on EA's new approach to original properties via Variety]

Last week I had the chance to pick up Battlefield: Bad Company and I continue loving every second of it. Earlier this month voting closed as we where all allocated a chance to pick, which map pack should DICE begin to work on. A blog post on the Official DICE site went up today that briefly accepted that their will be new content dropping when the patch releases soon, we desire.

The future update will be free.The patch will fix many major bugs,server lags and VOIP issues.With the bonus of a few gameplay tuneups and three new weapons added that where only available if you pre-order the game or played the demo will be added to the game which will be available for everyone at no cost. A list of what you can expect has been posted on the DICE Blog.

Trophy support will be added to the game.While these updates are great we hope to find a release date very soon on when you can expect this update.

“Games can sure make you rich,” I told my girlfriend that and guess what? When reports like this come in, it proves me right. E.A today released there first quarter results, which shows them bring in $804 million dollars. Which happens to be 50% more than last year’s earnings of $409 million. The games that played a very key role in their success were and still are Battlefield: Bad Company, UEFA EURO 2008 as well as Rock Band.

Heres what EA’s Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello had this to say “We are now seeing the early returns of the change agenda we started last year,” Go figure… While this year acquisitions where made, E.A. has many Allstate Highlights this year (as seen below).

Highlights (comparisons are to the quarter ended June 30, 2007)

• Battlefield: Bad Company, Mass Effect™ for the PC, SPORE™ Creature Creator and the recently launched NCAA® Football 09 debuted with strong quality ratings from critics.
• The SPORE Creature Creator is in the hands of 2.5 million users. Over two million creatures have been uploaded into Sporepedia™ in just six weeks.
• EA is the number one publisher in North America, with 17 percent segment share and number two in Europe with 14 percent segment share calendar year-to-date.
• EA Mobile™ is the world’s leading publisher of games for phones – with revenue of $44 million – up 33 percent year-over-year.
• EA Partners signed a co-publishing deal with id Software to bring RAGE™ to consumers around the world.
• EA acquired Hands-On-Mobile™ Korea, a leading Korean mobile developer and publisher.
• EA purchased ThreeSF, developers of an online social network for gamers.
• Critics gave EA titles high marks for quality and innovation at the recent E3 industry summit in Los Angeles. Highlights included SPORE, Mirror’s Edge™, Dead Space™, Dragon Age™: Origins and Left 4 Dead™ from Valve.

[EA Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2009 Results]

If you loved the high action Ace Combat series then, this Nintendo Sky Flyer is just what you have been looking for.With alot riding in the terms of gameplay and this game show pushing that it can bump big heads with the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360. Today we where able to get our hands on this game from a member of NeoGAF in the form of some very unbelievable pictures.

Innocent Aces, and it’s story follows the encounter between the protagonist, a member of a skilled flying unit belonging to a war contractor called Rostok Office, and an enigmatic young pretender, a lady called Orishina Maumi.

Players can use the Nunchuck’s analog stick to direct Sky Crawlers’ airborne vehicles, while the Wii Remote controls the power of the throttle.

While Japan will see this title this summer with a movie of the same name, the U.S. may see this game later this year.

[NeoGAF]

In a new trailer released by EA it showcased B-Company making fun of our old friend snake, as Sweetwater so called spotted a man with eye patch in a barrel. Battlefield: Bad Company is a first-person shooter which features destructible environments. The game scheduled for release on June 23, 2008 in North American.

EA Dice today announced that they launching a beta for IGN readers allowing them to test Battlefield: Bad Company on the 360. IGN says they will be giving keys away to IGN all members ( IGN Founders’ Club and IGN Insider members ) in North America and the UK. Keys for the test, which start on March 25, will go out through FilePlanet, IGN, GameSpy, TeamXbox, Planet Battlefield and Voodoo Extreme.

EA DICE ANNOUNCES MULTIPLAYER BETA PROGRAM FOR BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY SHIPPING JUNE 2008

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 20, 2008 – EA DICE, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the multiplayer beta test for Battlefield: Bad Company™ on the Xbox 360® video game system from Microsoft. IGN Founders’ Club and IGN Insider will offer keys to members and the public in North America and the UK to participate in the multiplayer beta test starting March 25 provided by IGN’s popular game download site FilePlanet (http://www.fileplanet.com). In addition, keys will also be available through IGN Entertainment’s gaming Web sites including IGN.com, GameSpy, TeamXbox, Planet Battlefield and Voodoo Extreme. Battlefield: Bad Company will launch on the Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in June 2008.

"We’re really excited about this beta since it gives us a chance to let a wider audience play our new multiplayer game, ‘Gold Rush’. The feedback coming back from something like this is crucial for us as developers and will help us with the final changes and polish in the game," stated Karl-Magnus Troedsson, Senior Producer for Battlefield: Bad Company. "Battlefield and FPS fans get their first glimpse into how tactical destruction can be applied in multiplayer gameplay. We think offering two of the multiplayer maps will give gamers a fantastic experience and some great insight into the game."

In North America, GameStop will also offer keys on a first come, first serve basis for this Exclusive Beta Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network event. With only 5,000 beta keys available at GameStop, gamers should pre-order their copy now at www.gamestop.com/badcompanybeta

The Battlefield: Bad Company multiplayer beta test will give players a chance to return to the battlefield to embark on an exciting mission to capture the spoils of war. Gamers will battle through two different maps, access new infantry kits and vehicles as well as experience the unique tactical destruction in Battlefield: Bad Company that changes the way first-person shooter games are played. With an unlimited upgrade tree and rewards, the multiplayer beta gives players the exhilaration, excitement and fun that awaits them when the final game ships later this summer.

"Xbox LIVE has a tradition of hosting some of the greatest demo and beta events gamers can play," said Marc Whitten, General Manager of Xbox LIVE. "We continue this practice of awesome online gameplay with the new beta of Battlefield Bad Company."

Developed by Sweden-based developer EA DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment), Battlefield: Bad Company has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information about the Battlefield franchise, please visit http://www.battlefield.com or our press web site at http://info.ea.com.