Call of Duty Elite's main competitor, Battlefield 3 Premium, has hit the 1.3 million subscribers mark. While Elite remains to be ahead in terms of subscribers, it was released way earlier than Premium which was released last June 2004. What EA did to this popular FPS title to extend its longevity are the releases of DLC s (downloadable content) to keep their subscribers interested. This means not releasing a single expansion packs while waiting for the next version, but a series of expansion packs released over a period of time. This way, the gamers have something to look forward to and keep their interests up.

It also makes good business sense, since they have to cough-up more money allowing the game publisher to generate more revenues after the title was released.

Having released "Back to Karkand" and "Close Quarters" what I'm looking forward to is the "Armored Kill" as I liked the vehicle battles in Battlefield 3 with "Aftermath" and "End Game" following in December 2012 and March 2013, respectively. Now that's a total of 5 DLCs in less than one year, which is almost to about 1 DLC every two and a half months getting one fresh expansion pack to change the gaming experience for just 1 FPS title.

Each DLC has 4 maps and since Premium subscribers get the maps two weeks before they're released, they get an advantage as they have already familiarized themselves with the maps before the rest catch-up. Furthermore, there are more weapons that are released in batches which can be unlocked by doing some assignments. Thus, Premium subscribers get to have advantage not only in terms of map intel, but in the choice of weapons that can be deployed in games, as long as they complete the assignments required to unlock them.

A good number of players welcome the "Close Quarters" DLC which means no vehicles on the ground or in the air, nor a sniper from far away to take you down with you not knowing about his presence. This then goes down to a good old firefight as you will have to be your toes (or on your buttons) all the time as you may not know who is lurking around the corner or waiting for you in a room.

If you haven't subscribed to the Battlefield 3 Premium, it costs a one-time US$50 fee to access all the 5 expansion packs and be able to reset your stats in multiplayer in case you want to start fresh. I'm looking forward to blowing up your tank in "Armored Kill."