DICE has been quick to stem gamer backlash following the announcement of the Battlefield 4 beta only eight months after the release of Battlefield 3.
Electronic Arts announced a Medal of Honor Warfighter pre-order incentive, which will include access to the Battlefield 4 beta in late 2013.
Following the announcement, DICE's forums were flooded with concerns that this would mean the end to Battlefield 3's support.
However, the developer has reassured gamers via a statement that Battlefield 3's story "is still just the beginning".
"The team at DICE is hard at work on the next entry in the Battlefield series, and to ensure access to the exclusive Battlefield 4 beta, shooter fans can pre-order Medal of Honor Warfighter today," the Swedish studio said.
"While there is no further Battlefield 4 news at this point - remember, if you don't see it published here, it's just rumor and speculation - we did want to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts on the state of the Battlefield franchise.
"We are extremely proud of Battlefield 3, and with millions of fans out there, we're happy you're enjoying it too. When we launched the game, we introduced unparalleled levels of in-game destruction, all-out vehicle warfare and redefined online gameplay. Even with billions of bullets fired and millions of games played, we know the Battlefield 3 story is still just the beginning. As ever, we are humbled by the community's response to the game, and couldn't be happier with the feedback we have received to Battlefield 3 Premium.
"With the Back to Karkand and Close Quarters expansion packs already out, Armored Kill around the corner, and End Game and Aftermath still on the horizon, we're looking forward to many more hours of gameplay with you, and can't wait to see the stories you will tell through Battlelog and player created videos.
"But we're not ready to talk about Battlefield 4 yet - in the meantime, we hope you will continue to enjoy Battlefield 3 and all the Battlefield 3 Premium content still to come."
The beta announcement accompanied the release of a new developer commentary video, which can be viewed here.
Source: DICE
By Gaetano Prestia - Bio