We knew this was coming! After a slight uproar on the official Battlefield 3 blog about the pre-order content for the game, EA has clarified the matter to simmer things down.
The issue arose when news of the Physical Warfare Pack adding three new additional weapons to Battlefield 3 would only be available in select retailers. Would it be fair for some gamers to start with a larger arsenal? EA explained that they carefully chose balanced weapons, but the uproar about pre-order content still raged on.
A similar issue arose when the internet came down on EA for similar pre-order content for Battlefield: Bad Company which led the company to scrap those plans. As expected, they've responded in due time to this little issue as well, explaining that the Physical Warfare Pack will eventually be available to everyone... for free!
Karl Magnus Troedsson, General Manager of DICE, clarifies the matter:
I would like to start by clarifying that the Physical Warfare Pack is a time-based exclusive. If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3 at a retailer carrying the Physical Warfare Pack, don’t worry. We will unlock the contents of the Physical Warfare Pack for free to all Battlefield 3 players later this year.
The Physical Warfare Pack will be available as a pre-order bonus all over the globe. Right now, the UK is the only country where it has been announced, but stay tuned to get constant updates on where you can pick this up in your country. And remember, if you do not pre-order, you will still get access to this content at a later date, free of charge. If you do pre-order, you will get access to it from day one.
With Battlefield 3 running the good news train ever since it started debuting the Fault Line series of trailers, they don't want to risk any negative buzz. At the moment, they have everything going for them, made better by an impressive showing at E3 where they unveiled the game's multiplayer and more vehicular gameplay to unanimously positive response.
As for the Back to Karkand map pack, he explains that it's a way to reward gamers who show confidence in EA and DICE by pre-ordering Battlefield 3. It will however, be available to everyone should they choose to purchase it on day one. It's a standard pre-order incentive so it's certainly worth it if you know for a fact you'll be picking up this game.
Battlefield 3 releases October 25th for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
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Source: EA