Electronic Arts studio DICE today confirmed that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is in development, as Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed a few days ago. In addition, the company revealed the development of Battlefield 1943.

Unlike the first Bad Company, which was only released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Bad Company 2 will also get a PC release. DICE promises a "level of fervor to vehicular warfare never before experienced in a modern warfare action game."

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is not expected until early next year, but gamers will still get their Battlefield fix this year as Battlefield 1943 will be released this summer.

A presumably budget-priced release, Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable multiplayer-only title coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It will feature 24 player action, three classic Battlefield locations--Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima--and uses the same Frostbite engine that powers Bad Company 2.

"Bad Company 2 takes everything that players liked in the original and ups the ante - more vehicles, more destruction and more team play," said Battlefield franchise executive producer Karl Magnus Troedsson. "Battlefield 1943 is a new take on a blast from the past classic coming to life with brand new technology."

DICE is also working on the free-to-play Battlefield Heroes, which is expected by April.

Adding to the recent revelation that EA DICE's upcoming Mirror's Edge is part of a trilogy, EA Games president Frank Gibeau and Dead Space executive producer Glenn Schofield have disclosed that the company is planning a number of other sequels.

Both EA Montreal's co-op action game Army of Two (PS3, 360) and EA DICE's shooter Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3, 360) have "sequel ideas planned," Gibeau told Variety Meanwhile, Schofield revealed that EA Redwood Shore's sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space (PC, PS3, 360) already has a sequel in the works.

Dead Space debuted at retailers last week, with Army of Two and Battlefield: Bad Company arriving earlier this year. Since its release, Army of Two has been one of the year's best-selling Xbox 360 titles thus far.

Gibaeu also noted that EA's expansion into game-inspired films, books and television shows stems from the somewhat-recent return of EA CEO John Riccitiello, who, in Gibaeu's words, explained that "our fan base would love to experience or learn more about them in linear forms."

Organizers of the Game Developers Conference and DICE may be moving to an invite-only system for members of the press next year, Kotaku reported today.

GDC director Jamil Moledina expressed concerns of maintaining the show's atmosphere and scope in the face of an ever-rising attendance rates and an increased press presence.

"We don't have it nailed down, but we are looking at moving to an invite model for press access at GDC," Moledina said. "It's meant to be a networking event for people who make games, but more and more we are seeing a lot of individuals who are obtaining press credentials who aren't full-time press. It's kind of open to being spoofed."

Increased press presence is also leading DICE organizers to head in a similar direction. "The academy's role, first and foremost, is to make sure the academy members are comfortable and that the role of the media is to be there to watch and not participate," said Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences president Joseph Olin.

The movement towards invite-only events mirrors the Entertainment Software Association's decision last year to retool the E3 Media and Business Summit, which now requires attendees to be invited directly by publishers and developers. In the absence of larger-scale events, many developers are moving towards smaller, invite-only press gatherings to announce and demonstrate upcoming titles.

FiringSquad has a DICE summit Q&A up, asking AIAS president Joseph Olin about this game industry conference and the related Interactive Achievements Awards.

Next Generation and Gamasutra both have recaps of the keynote speech the Garriot brothers delivered at D.I.C.E.. In their keynote address, Richard and Robert talked about their origins and their visions of the MMO market.