Electronic Arts has always promised that Battlefield 3 would receive copious amounts of post-release content, but since the game came out last October, there has only been one expansion: Back to Karkand. That expansion will have some company in June, with the release of the next Battlefield 3 map pack, titled Close Quarters.
Close Quarters will feature four new maps which, predictably, are all considerably smaller than the standard, wide-open Battlefield maps. Instead of large-scale battles between tanks and jets, Close Quarters will offer up room-to-room combat between infantry. In the announcement, DICE executive producer, Patrick Bach, mentioned that the maps would be similar in flow to Operation Metro, the map that was featured in the Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta. The expansion will also see the addition of 10 new weapons to the Battlefield arsenal.
Close Quarters will be joined in the fall by the third Battlefield 3 expansion, titled Armored Kill. In contrast to the smaller maps of Close Quarters, Armored Kill will be a return to form for Battlefield, with a focus on large-scale maps with vehicle-on-vehicle combat. As one would expect, new vehicles will be introduced as part of this pack.
The fourth (and final…that we know about) Battlefield 3 expansion is coming sometime towards the end of the year and will be called End Game. EA is being especially mum about this one, showing nothing more than a logo which highlights a soldier surrounded by darkness with a knife drawn. What this content will contain, whether it's more multiplayer or whether it'll give a new post-script to the single-player campaign, remains a mystery for now.