If you were expecting Battlefield Bad Company 3 to be the next release in the Battlefield franchise, think again. Electronic Arts has revealed that the next installment will be nothing other than Battlefield 4, and if you pre-order the Medal of Honor: Warfighter Limited Edition copy, you will be among the first to taste the Beta of Battlefield 4 in the Fall of 2013.

Frank Gibeau, president of EA, was quoted as saying,

"Though Battlefield and Medal of Honor Warfighter each offer players a completely unique experience, they are united by their underlying technology base - Frostbite. These are two of the hottest shooters, coming together to deliver a one-two punch of action, intensity and shooter entertainment."

It has now become clear that EA wants Battlefield to be a yearly event like Call of Duty. EA is hell bent on having the Battlefield franchise unseat Call of Duty as the top selling First Person Shooter each year. However, first things first: Unlike Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 is not console friendly since the maps are so huge and there are only 24 players per map.

Battlefield 4 is expected to be released in 2013 on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and possible next generation consoles such as the Xbox 720 and PS4.

FULL PRESS RELEASE BELOW:

GUILDFORD, UK. - July 17, 2012 - Electronic Arts Inc. today announced access to the exclusive beta for Battlefield 4^TM, the next entry in DICE's award-winning shooter series, to players that pre-order Medal of Honor^TM Warfighter Limited Edition* prior to the game's launch on Oct. 23. The most authentic shooter this holiday, Medal of Honor Warfighter is the only game that puts players in the boots of the world's most aggressive, precise and disciplined warfighters, fighting battles that are ripped from headlines around the globe. Powered by the ground-breaking Frostbite^TM 2 engine, Medal of Honor Warfighter delivers tomorrow's technology on today's platforms with advanced gameplay, visuals and sound design.

The exclusive Battlefield 4 beta will be available in Fall 2013. Additional details regarding Battlefield 4 will be revealed at a later date.

"Though Battlefield and Medal of Honor Warfighter each offer players a completely unique experience, they are united by their underlying technology base - Frostbite. These are two of the hottest shooters, coming together to deliver a one-two punch of action, intensity and shooter entertainment," said Frank Gibeau, President of EA Labels.

Written by U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas, Medal of Honor Warfighter is set to deliver this year's most authentic military shooter experience inspired by real warriors, real operations and real places. From rescuing hostages in Abu Sayyaf's stronghold in the Philippines to assaulting Al-Shabaab's "Pirate Town" on the Somali Coast, Medal of Honor Warfighter puts players in the boots of today's most highly trained and skilled warriors to experience missions that have a dotted line to real world terrorist threats. Medal of Honor Warfighter features real world hotspots in the single player campaign and introduces international Tier 1 Operators from 10 different nations in multiplayer allowing players to show their national pride online.

"Frostbite 2 is an amazingly powerful technology that challenges us to break the multiplayer mold. The unique premise of global warfighters in Medal of Honor Warfighter has inspired us to pioneer new multiplayer concepts such as Fire Teams and the idea of having Tier 1 Operators from around the world go head-to-head in online competition," said Greg Goodrich, Executive Producer, Medal of Honor.

Developed by Danger Close Games, Medal of Honor Warfighter will be available in North America on October 23, 2012 and in Europe on October 26, 2012 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.