Pre-order Battlefield 3 from Origin for beta access in Sept.

by JC Fletcher on Aug 2nd 2011 3:40PM

While other retailers will hand out early access to Battlefield 3 DLC, Origin's pre-order bonus for Battlefield 3 is early access to ... Battlefield 3. If you buy the PC version of the game through EA's new store -- on any platform, as far as we can tell -- you'll get early access to the Battlefield 3 open beta "when it goes live in September 2011."

You'll also get the Back to Karkand DLC, two exclusive items for Battlefield Play4Free, and, if you buy the PC download version, the Physical Warfare Pack. So you basically get the stuff the other retailers offer in addition to the beta. EA is making a pretty good ~~bribe~~ argument in favor of its new shop, here.

Via: RespawnAction
Source: Origin

Tags: battlefield-3, beta, dice, microsoft, origin, pc, playstation, pre-order, ps3, xbox

Reader Comments (72)

Valve needs to suck it up and work things out with EA already, or else I'll probably just get a physical copy.

@PxlBuzzard

Steam or nothing...

@PxlBuzzard

Screw that. Valve needs to stand tough and ask EA to abide by the same rules that every other publisher follows on the service.

EA wants special privileges to spam the shit out of Steam users, and to turn off online support when they want to make you buy the sequel, and to make it harder to buy and update DLC.

Microsoft "sucked it up and worked things out with EA" when they launched XBox Live, which is why the experience of playing EA games is so much worse than the experience of playing anyone else's games on XBox Live.

@copa
I'm eating fried rice, but in a more ideal scenario, I'd be bowing to you.

Just bowing, no kneeling.

@PxlBuzzard Please correct me if I'm wrong, but even if you do buy a physical copy of the PC version, you'll still have to use Origin to actually play the game online.

@Megaqwerty

At the moment, it is not know, but the "Battlelog" feature for the PC may be accessible only from Origin (If you played the Alpha, like finding a game and playing in one) So it is VERY possible that Origin may be needed (IMO)

http://twitter.com/#!/Demize99/status/97951424561942528

@PxlBuzzard

It dosent work like that anymore. You cant just run a game from disc anymore.

@PxlBuzzard
You honestly think Valve doesn't want this game on Steam? REALLY?

This is purely EA's decision and they're doing it because they want Origin to compete with Steam..which will never happen.

@Slomoshun From my knowledge of the situation it is Valve that has been kicking various EA games off of Steam, namely Crysis 2. Check out the Joystiq article about it: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/crysis-2-ditching-steam-not-an-ea-decision-origin-exclusive-tit/

@PxlBuzzard

Yes because EAs new DLC setup interferes with Valve ToS.

And like so many other people have said; why hasn't Dragon Age: Origins, ME1+2 have been removed?

@Megaqwerty yes, but less money will go directly to EA if you buy it in a store. i'd rather have best buy have my money than EA

For a simple pre-order...

That sure is a whole heap of Battlefield.

@Red Deer

I'm wondering if they forgot about all the Medal of Honor people they gave the beta code to.

I'd love if they extended this to console pre-orders at other retailers. Not living in the US, I can't bring myself to pay international shipping charges along with the additional wait just to get into the beta.

I'll just skip the "beta" and buy it at retail.

@Khazidhea I like how you put beta in quotes.

@Random Hero 10 Comments
hahahaha

@Dance Mofo Isn't beta a fancy word for demo?

@Dance Mofo

But a whole lot of sunlight.

@bxgt 690 Comments
Wasn't there a discussion on the difference between Beta and Demo a while ago? Because i thought beta, in this case, was an unfinished game, or it could be a prototype of the game, developers release to the public to test in order to find and or detect glitches, exploits, if the controls aren't tight, whatever it might be with the game so developers can iron out those kinks and then some before the game goes gold?
And demo was a piece of what the final game would be like to whet the appetite of gamers to play before (or after) a game has gone gold?
I don't know maybe you're right. then again I could be wrong.

@Dance Mofo exactly, "betas" went out the window with the success of Halo 3's on the Crackdown disc and Gamestop pre-orders. Beta has simply turned into a fancier way to say demo. These "betas" have no time to be fixed and are full of people that dont give a shit about producing any feedback even if the developers actually wanted it.

@Dance Mofo I dont get the reference to the amount of comments I have made, I typically dont comment unless I actually have something to say.

@Random Hero
True, but these type of "beta"s aren't used to get feedback from users primarily. They are to stress-test their servers and online services so they know they can handle the large player loads when the game hits retail. It gives them more opportunity to tweak their services rather than have a flood of problems out of the gate and lose a lot of players. When it's "beta" players expect issues, or should.

Hence why these "offers" for betas are always multiplayer.

@bxgt - This time around, the alpha was likely the true beta. It had its share of bugs for sure.

The beta should be polished to a fine sheen by comparison.

@(Unverified) 24 Comments
You described it a lot better than how i described it

damn lol I was thinking of just getting a physical copy but that sure is tempting, will that include both the maps and the physical warfare pack? if so I guess ill get it but either way I'm getting this amazing game :D

@rossguitar my bad i didnt read it right and now see that it does say in the text haha

This is very tempting indeed. I can wait it outthis month in hopes that Steam will have a similar offer if they can agree with EA to provide this game. Otherwise, I'll just decided on a retailer for a 360 copy and get the PC when it's on the cheap in the future.

@Aapkanam Not particularly tempting when the digital version is a whole £10 more than the retail copy.

So what about MoH: Limited Edition?

@iceytoa1 Beta in September for MoH owners as well.

is this origin application what project $10 has built?

I hope this game sucks just like MoH's online

@eat it I played the alpha. It's already better than MoH.

@TheUnnamable

MOH was made by dice, But the similarities stop there, MOH was dreadful online, Just a stupid experiment.

no beta access if i buy retail? i don't feel like dealing with broken download servers on release day

@acme64

Gamestop might make a deal....who knows.

Right now, I'm still going for Retail release. I've never been to a midnight release before and I want to.

Plus I get a discount at Gamestop. (First time I'm buying a PC game at Gamestop on the first day)

@acme64

oh and you can pre-load the game. So Broken Download Servers won't be a problem..

@acme64

Origin grants EARLY beta access. RTA next time.

@packy17
as opposed to scheduled access with a retail purchase? read the post

@xiLeShadow you can preload on steam too, shit still breaks and doesn't let you play on time occasionally though

@acme64

I think you're confused. Origin preorders grant early access, presumably at the same time MOH people get in. After that, the beta is open to anyone who wants to play it later in September. It is an "open" beta after all.

@packy17
Perhaps he was confused. That's why one asks questions though, right. What I'm wondering however is why you felt the need to be a dick. Does the article tell us that?

@Nick Frost

Yes, it does. The photo itself says "early access", and right from the article itself - "... you'll get early access to the Battlefield 3 *OPEN* beta "when it goes live in September 2011."

The article is actually what's causing the confusion. It's been known to be open since E3. Titling the article the way they did made it sound like this was the only way to get in, which simply isn't true. I wasn't trying to be or sound like a dick. Even though it's partly Joystiq's fault for a bad title, the info is still right there in the article.

EA is being absurdly stupid in this situation. Its like they're trying to tank digital sales of this game.

Early beta through moh and origin pre orders start Sep 16 and everyone everyone else I'm guessing a week later.on the 23rd and will end a week after that...i think..since the alpha was two weeks.

I really don't understand all the whining about Origin. So what if EA wants to put their games on their own platform? Big whoop.

I actually purchased a physical copy because I like boxes, and got to get a digital version through their store. I've been using Origin before it was Origin, and frankly, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. BC2 didn't really have any Steam functionality anyways, did it?

I have lots of games on Steam, and it's a great platform. I just feel like everyone is being whiney. Like the L4D2 boycott people.

@InkSix

The problem is, EA will be charging full retail price instead of passing the savings on to the customer. They could charge $20 and still make a decent profit.

@InkSix

The L4D2 boycott was created because of a fear that valve would start shovelling out games like any other publisher. All their games are well made through a lot of time being spent of them, and the very thought of a second game (which was very close to gameplay) made that tradition feel threatened.

But back on topic, EA is a very big company who seem to more concerned for themselves than they are for their own developers / customers. By pulling out of a massively used service, and almost forcing it's customers to do it their way, no wonder there is so little trust in the company. It's like the Origin exclusive ordeal for the old republic, i would have been pissed as a developer to hear that my game would be selling on an already disliked platform and instead serve as some sort of advertisement for it.

I'm not saying Origin is a bad service, it's just the level trust that EA has lost over the years, has given it a bad name.

@HaVoK308
EA and all the other publishers cannot charge less than retail on release date because retail outlets would not carry their games.

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Battlefield 3

Pre-order Battlefield 3 from Origin for beta access in Sept.

Reader Comments (72)

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:46PM PxlBuzzard said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:04PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:12PM copa said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:18PM darkinchworm said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:23PM Megaqwerty said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:42PM ComedyInK said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:58PM LEONLEONLEON said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:44PM Slomoshun said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 3:11PM PxlBuzzard said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 8:25PM ComedyInK said

Posted: Aug 15th 2011 10:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:47PM Red Deer said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 8:32AM SirUrza said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:47PM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:49PM Khazidhea said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:54PM Random Hero said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:06PM Dance Mofo said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:11PM bxgt said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:17PM ClarkyAC said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 6:28PM Dance Mofo said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 7:25PM Random Hero said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 7:27PM Random Hero said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 1:09AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 3:30AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 11:15AM Dance Mofo said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:50PM rossguitar said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:52PM rossguitar said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:51PM Aapkanam said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:54PM ijyt said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 3:54PM iceytoa1 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:29PM TheUnnamable said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:03PM eat it said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:12PM eat it said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:29PM TheUnnamable said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:01PM LEONLEONLEON said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:15PM acme64 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:20PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:21PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:35PM packy17 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:33PM acme64 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 5:33PM acme64 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 11:10PM packy17 said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 12:23AM Nick Frost said

Posted: Aug 3rd 2011 1:59PM packy17 said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:36PM Maximo said

Posted: Aug 2nd 2011 4:42PM XBX4LFE said

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