Battlefield 3 Premium sells 800,000

Battlefield 3 Premium is off to a quick start. EA Games Label boss Patrick Soderlund told USA Today in an interview published today that the $50 pay-once downloadable content offering attracted 800,000 users in its first two weeks, driving $40 million in revenue.

Soderlund said this figure is ahead of EA's internal expectations, but noted it is too soon to know exactly how successful the program is or will be, given it launched just weeks ago.

"We're actually only two weeks into it, so it's a little early to tell how this is going to pay off," Soderlund said. "It certainly looks very promising right now."

By comparison, Activision's $50 Call of Duty: Elite annual subscription for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has attracted 2 million paying members since it launched in November. Like Battlefield 3 Premium, Call of Duty: Elite grants users access to a stream of map packs and other perks.

Battlefield 3 Premium includes access to five Battlefield 3 map packs (Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath, and End Game), which altogether add more than 20 new arenas to the modern-day shooter. Additionally, those who purchase the $50 offering are awarded early access to all forthcoming map packs. For more on everything included with Battlefield 3 Premium, check out the Battlefield 3 website.