DICE and Electronic Arts officially announce that the first DLC map for the forthcoming first-person shooter Battlefield 1 will be available to fans free of charge.

According to a new post on Battlefield 1's website, the World War I-inspired game's developers already have the title's first DLC map planned out for December, as the studio is calling it "Giant's Shadow." While the prospect of getting yet another map a couple of months after the shooter's release in October of this year is definitely exciting, fans will likely be even more eager to learn that it's going to be available as a completely free download to all players.

Per the description of Battlefield 1's Giant's Shadow map, fans will get to experience the game's take on the Battle of the Selle in the fall of 1918. Apparently, the DLC's name is being taken from the fact that an absolutely huge airship had crashed in an open field during the fight, and it is casting its shadow over the war zone.

No matter which of the multiplayer classes players choose, they should expect the battle to be shifted from "out of the trenches and into open country" in Giant's Shadow, with British forces penetrating the Hindenburg line to make their way toward an essential railway center. Interestingly enough, the map will also feature plenty of tank combat, as well as yet another armored train that has the potential to "turn the tide" of the fight. Battlefield 1 fans ought to recall a similar railroad vehicle within the Sinai map in the game's open beta.

Unfortunately, beyond Giant's Shadow's description, no in-depth assets have been released by developers to show off what it will look like. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the free DLC area will bring Battlefield 1's confirmed map count up to six in total, with the others being The St. Quentin Scar, Sinai Desert, Amiens, Monte Grappa, and Empire's Edge. Fans can get a glimpse of how the aforementioned environments other than Giant's Shadow will appear in the images right here.

Of course, on top of the maps included in Battlefield 1's base game and with Giant's Shadow, DICE is set to add even more combat spaces to the title by way of various DLC packs. They Shall Not Pass will be the first installment, and it comes out in March 2017. The complete tally of multiplayer maps should add up to 16 in all, with the studio planning on releasing four separate expansions altogether.

Taking all of this into consideration, it will be interesting to see if the free map along with the recent success of Battlefield 1's beta which attracted roughly 13.2 million players can translate into meaningful launch sales. Although it could go on to post respectable numbers for the franchise itself, Battlefield 1 also has stiff competition in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, as Activision's futuristic shooter releases not long afterwards.

Battlefield 1 is set for availability on October 21, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Battlefield (via GameSpot)