Battlefield Hardline's First DLC Adds Four New Maps and More

At least some of the contents of Battlefield Hardline's first expansion have been revealed.

Speaking during the latest Don't Revive Me Bro podcast, multiplayer producer Zach Mumbach said the DLC pack--Criminal Activity--will offer four new mutiplayer maps (no surprise there), two of which will be set during the night.

The setting for the new maps are California and Florida. Mumbach said the new maps will vary in size and offer "a little bit more" destructibility than existing environments.

Even bigger maps are coming later, Mumbach teased.

The developer also explained that Visceral has created the new maps with better visuals cues to let people know what's destructible and what's not.

New vehicles will also be included with Criminal Activity, though planes are not on the list. "No planes," Mumbach said. "I just don't see how to work it into the fiction of what we're doing."

Battlefield Premium ($50) members will be able to play Criminal Activity two weeks before everyone else. However, Mumbach revealed that Visceral is planning to offer bonuses to everyone at launch (since everyone must apply an update for compatibility reasons, he said) in the form of a free gun.

What's more, Mumbach explained that Visceral is currently exploring the possibility of allowing non-Premium members to try out DLC before they buy. However, he made no promises, and stressed that such an offer has various technical and policy-based issues that must be overcome first.

Mumbach was speaking during a fan podcast, so it's not surprising that he didn't divulge specific details about Criminal Activity. We'd expect those to instead come directly from Electronic Arts through an official announcement.

Looking beyond Criminal Activity, the Battlefield Hardline DLC release schedule includes:

• Robbery -- Summer 2015
• Getaway -- Fall 2015
• Betrayal -- Early 2016

Pricing has not been announced for people who buy Hardline's expansions outside of the Premium offering. However, history suggests that they will go for $15 each.