With Battlefield’s answer to CoD: Elite seeing a leak last week, we were all left in limbo as to whether it was indeed forthcoming or just rumour. Despite E3 being so enticingly close we’ve disappointingly experienced yet another unofficial reveal, all but confirming Battlefield Premium’s existence. A trailer, packed with details, has surfaced across the internet… couldn’t they just have waited until the big expo?

The list and video below state everything that will be included with the package:

There are quite a lot of things held up there, but for $50 is it too little too late? After all, Call of Duty’s catering to its die hard fans has been there since launch. With Back to Karkland already owned by most, is it really that appealing to pay $50 for 4 more expansions, some extra features, and, in effect, pay again for something which is already owned? That is a detail to be held in the eyes of the consumer. I’m sure many active players will see this as a great addition. Personally however, I’m not so struck on the idea.

I’ve always had a raw distaste for DLC. Fair enough, it adds extra depth to a game which could otherwise be going stale. It can revitalise and reignite a game which may otherwise be gathering dust on your shelf. That’s not my problem. The thing which really bugs me is developers are using DLC as a pivot for revenue. Many games out there effectively require DLC to enjoy them to their full experience. I dunno if any of you have tried the retail version of Halo 3 recently. I hope you had fun with the severely limited game modes available. This happens with every developer nowadays. Here with Battlefield, for example, they’ve just said Premium members will get “Queue priority into servers”. Despite depravity from features that should be available to all, players without the package will now experience slower matchmaking, hoozah!

So how do you guys feel about this? It does offer a lot to the intensive Battlefield gamer, but I can’t help feel it’s just a cry for money. Developers know people are happy enough to pay stupid amounts to add to their gaming experience. Taking advantage of this is basic business principle is yet another cog set into motion. Sure, they have costs to cover, but marketing things like this is just irritating in my eyes. I’m positive they could afford to ‘thank’ their fanbase in a way which doesn’t line their own pockets. Leave your comments below.