EA Download Manager Spills Battlefield 3 Release

Is it still April Fools? The EA Download Manager has slipped the release date of Battlefield 3–and if true, it’s war with Modern Warfare 3. Apparently the DICE shooter has been scheduled for a November 2 release, a week or so ahead of Modern Warfare 3’s projected launch.

CVG captured a screenshot of the page on EA’s Download Manager, where the date 2/11/11 is clearly etched. November 2 falls on a Wednesday, and as CVG points out, games are normally released on Tuesday in the U.S. and, in Europe, the day after. Could a worldwide release be EA’s ace to play against their rival?

DICE General Manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson sounded off at competitors in March, calling them “lazy” for using regurgitated engines in sequels: “They’re using the same engine, the same recipe for building a game. At some point you need to take that leap. I haven’t seen them take that leap since a long time ago. We are doing that now; they had better watch out. We are coming for them.”

The recently released Battlefield 3 video series (“Fault Line”) has fans drooling thanks to its ultra-realistic look. The third episode dropped yesterday, and you can admire it below.