Battlefield 3 expansions hitting PS3 first

Apparently Call of Duty isn't the only big-budget shooter franchise with a console exclusivity arrangement anymore. Sony has arranged a deal with DICE to offer Battlefield 3 expansions a week early on the PlayStation 3. The exclusivity deal will start with the Back to Karkand pack, and apply to all subsequent "full-blown" expansion packs on the system.

The revelation came from DICE product manager Tommy Rydling on the PlayStation Blog. The announcement seemed unclear on whether this applies only to its console competition, or if PC players will also wait a week longer than PS3 owners. Shacknews has contacted DICE for more clarification, and a representative plainly stated, "PS3 players will receive exclusive one-week early access to all Battlefield 3 Expansion Packs." So there you have it.

This seems like a similar deal to the Activision/Microsoft deal to offer early access to Call of Duty packs. Since Battlefield is positioning itself as EA's answer to the popular COD franchise, it only makes sense to strike out at Microsoft's biggest competitor. The COD exclusivity period is longer than a week, but it's still a nice win for Sony.

The blog also teases the open beta, which as previously reported will launch on all platforms on September 29. The game is set to release on October 25.