Prior to the debut of Battlefield 3, EA showcased its other Battlefield title: Battlefield Play4Free. Essentially a love letter to Battlefield 2, Play4Free's version is currently in closed beta for a select few. According to developer EAsy, the game has seen a few "thousand" players the game killing each other during peak times.

At the event, EA also revealed that Battlefield Play4Free will see a staggered launch beginning March 31. On that date, any gamer that owns (and has registered on EA.com) past titles in the series--including Battlefield Heroes and Battlefield: Bad Company 2--will receive a beta code from EA.

On April 2, invites will be distributed to select Twitter followers and Facebook fans. A public beta will officially launch two days later on April 4. The game's final launch is set for later this year.

For more information--including how the game will compare to Battlefield 2--look out for our interview with the team at EAsy early next week.