DICE: "Now is the time to make a proper sequel to Battlefield 2. Competitors are treading water"

DICE's General Manager, Karl Magnus Troedsson has described the upcoming Battlefield 3 as a "real sequel to Battlefield 2."

Speaking to game.on.net , Troedsson also discussed the series tonal shift, and how the developer has taken on more community feedback this time around.

Troedsson told the website: "We now feel like we are ready to make a real sequel to Battlefield 2. With Bad Company we introduced the franchise to next gen console. With Bad Company 2 we introduced co-op; we introduced single player. Now is the time to put all that together and make a proper sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2. The biggest change from Battlefield Bad Company 2 to Battlefield 3 will be the tone of the game, definitely."

DICE's general manager says community feedback has also had a significant impact on Battlefield 3's design decisions: "It was hard to ignore the outcry from the community. The return of jets and the return of prone is definitely... we have listened to the community straight off."

Players had the ability to lie prone in 2005's Battlefield 2, but not in DICE's more recent Bad Company games. Battlefield 3 will let players lie on their bellies as much as they like, as highlighted in the most recent trailer . "We wanted to bring it back but we also know that there's a lot of hassle with things like that; both visual quality-wise but also balancing. How do you handle that sniper, up on a hill, on the grass, lying down?"

His confidence in the franchise was obvious: “The competitors … are out there, they're established, and they're very, very big... we believe that they are not innovating, that they are treading water."

For more on Battlefield 3, check the official website or read our in our 10 things we'd like to see in Battlefield 3 feature. Will Battlefield 3 will be a worthy sequel to Battlefield 2?