Battlefield 1943 rages on consoles in June

It was hardly a shock when EA and DICE announced in February that a new edition of Battlefield: Bad Company was en route for consoles and PCs this winter, considering that publisher CEO John Riccitiello had said as much in a conference call earlier that week. What wasn't apparent from Riccitiello's statements, however, was that DICE was actually rolling out two theretofore unannounced titles, the second of which is the downloadable Battlefield 1943.

Today, EA dropped additional details on Battlefield 1943, saying that the multiplayer-only shooter will be available through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this June for $15 (1,200 Microsoft points). A PC edition of the game will follow in September.

Battlefield 1943 features 24-player conflicts that play out both on land and in the air. Players can assume a number of different play styles as either the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy, including a trench-warfare rifleman grunt, a heavy-armor tank commander, or a nimble fighter pilot, with battles playing out across three historic World War II locales: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima.

EA DICE remains at work on Battlefield Heroes, a free-to-play, heavily stylized online shooter for PCs. EA is currently accepting beta test sign-ups through the game's official Web site.