Battlefield 2 golden

Following a spate of online chatter, Electronic Arts has confirmed to GameSpot that Battlefield 2 has gone gold. Rated T for Teen, the game will retail for $49.99 when it ships for the PC on June 21. The game is developed by the now-EA-controlled Swedish studio Digital Illusions CE (DICE). A console spin-off, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, will be released later in the year for the PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2.

Named the Best Shooter at E3 2005, Battlefield 2 takes the team-based military combat of DICE's best-selling Battlefield 1942 series and transports it into the modern era. Instead of playing Allies vs. Nazis, players will pick one of three sides in a near-future conflict: the US, China, or the fictional pan-Arab Middle Eastern Coalition.

Each of Battlefield 2's three sides will have an array of modern weapons, ranging from the M16A2 assault rifle to the next-generation Type 96 machine gun. Players will also be able to control more than 30 modern vehicles, including the Hind helicopter and the M1A2 battle tank.

Battlefield 2 will feature 2 new classes--heavy weapons and special forces--in addition to the five existing class types: assault, sniper, medic, antitank, and engineer. Players of any class will be able to face off against each other in a variety of multiplayer maps that can hold up to 64 simultaneous players. Battlefield 2's multiplayer component will have a new commander mode, enhanced team play, and even a video playback feature known as "Battlefield TV." The game will also include an all-new single-player campaign sporting opponents with improved AI.

GameSpot's previous coverage has a series of in-depth previews on Battlefield 2. EA also released a brand-new official trailer for the game today, viewable below.