Battlefield Premium - the worst-kept secret of E3 2012 that sees DLC-hungry gamers saving money on the expansion packs for Battlefield 3 by purchasing the lot in one go - has attracted over 800,000 customers in th first two weeks since launching to public.

EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau has suggested that the Premium service that has come to Battlefield 3 - offering a discounted bulk-buy option for that game's DLC, both current and forthcoming - might well make the jump across to other EA properties.

Dreading the thought of Mass Effect Premium or Medal of Honor Premium? Look away now.

Karl Magnus Troedsson, General Manager of DICE, has suggested that although mobile gaming has made significant strides in the last few years, the reports of doom and gloom for traditional games are far from accurate.

Just in case you didn't realise, this week's PWNCAST is all about tanks. Tanks are awesome, and so for this podcast, with Jon having returned fresh from hugging giant mobile cannons at Tankfest, we thought we'd chat about some of our favourite tank-related games and tank-specific gaming moments.

Because tanks are awesome. TANKS!

PWNCAST | Season 1: Episode 19, Recorded: July 1st, 2012

Some of the things that get covered this week:

• Tanks
• More tanks
• Tank games
• Tank-related gaming moments
• Even more tanks
• A side order of tanks
• Tankfest
• World of Tanks
• Battlezone
• Halo

...and much, much more.

This week in particular, we'd like you to get involved. Let us know what your favourite games of all time are, the games that had the biggest impact on you, and pop a nostalgic anecdote or two in the comments below.

We'll maybe even hand out a prize for our favourite.

Finally, do please keep writing in to contact@dealspwn.com with requests, feedback, and topics you'd like to hear discussed.

Parental Advisory: We've tried to keep it as conversational and informal as possible, and you should be warned that there may be quite a few instances of strong language.

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EA have announced that this weekend is a double XP weekend for Battlefield 3's fans.

Any experience points gained across all maps and modes on ranked servers will be doubled, and PC and Xbox 360 owners who signed up for Battlefield Premium should now have early access to Close Quarters following the DLC's release on PS3 last week.

The Double XP Weekend kicks off at 8.01am BST on June 16th, and will run until 7.59am BST on June 18th.

In sharp contrast to Microsoft's slower start, the packed crowd in the Orpheum Theatre was absolutely buzzing. "Dead Space 3" were the words on everyone's lips (regardless of language, since I was sat next to a German outfit and Playboy Brazil), with Isaac's latest outing easily the most anticipated game of the presser. Whether this newfound verve stemmed from genuine excitement or an extra coffee/Gatorade quaffed in the poorly-managed queue wasn't entirely clear, but the intimate stalls hummed with myriad predictions, bets and the latest leaks.

Brilliantly, Plants vs Zombies got the biggest cheer during the opening montage, rivalling even the dapper Jonny R and his promises of a humble, celebrity-less convention. You sold us that blatant lie last year, John Boy... and we were ready for the 'Playmaker,' UFC President and pals this time around.

Our depraved Necromorphic lust was soon satisfied thanks to a showstopping trailer that brought the house down. Drop-in cooperative play was formally announced, quickly followed by an action-packed demo that eschewed horror for balls-out carnage and brotacular banter. It looked great, but more like Lost Planet than Event Horizon. Will fans dig on this new direction?

"Will EA sell Madden XP as microtransactions?" muttered all and sundry, though not so loud as the hulking quarterback could hear us.

We knew it was coming. The most poorly kept secret in gaming this year has finally emerged, as Peter Moore and Patrick Bach took the stage at EA’s E3 press conference to announce the launch of Battlefield Premium.

The most poorly kept secret in gaming of late will be unveiled at EA's press conference later today. A trailer leak from late last night further confirmed Battlefield 3 Premium's existence, and now EA's Patrick Soderlund has come out ahead of the presser and told Reuters much the same.

Hotly rumoured, one-time payment service Battlefield Premium, has been spotted in the retail wilds, priced around £35 at launch, according to Coolshop.

#Earlier in the week, we reported on a rumour from fan site Battlefieldo, delivering whispers on a Battlefield Premium service that might be coming as EA's answer to COD: Elite. Now, having received information from multiple sources, Battlefieldo are reporting that the initiative has been confirmed, and will offer rewards to those who sign up for the service.

Well it was inevitable. A new tidbit of Battlefield news, from an "unofficial, but very reliable source" has surfaced, suggesting that EA may well be about to unleash a premium service for Battlefield 3, not unlike Call of Duty: Elite.

At EA's recent April Showcase, we caught up with DICE's Niklas Fegraeus, lead designer on Battlefield 3: Close Quarters, to talk about the upcoming expansion to the popular FPS, reflect on BF3's successes, and discuss the state of the genre in general.

Matt Gardner (Dealspwn): Battlefield 3 has long been a series synonymous with vast maps, vehicular combat, and the open-warfare captured in its brand title. Why take that action inside into a cramped environment, and why now?

Niklas Fegraeus (DICE): I think the strength of Battlefield, as a game, is that it is this big sandbox where you can have all of these different experiences. I think it's probably the greatest strength of the game - that one second you can be this, you know, squad soldier with his friends running around, covering an area, protecting zones and flags - and then the next second you can jump into a jet and just soar through the air and start blowing up tanks or whatever.

I think what we as a studio wanted to do was emphasise and capitalise on those experiences. So when we thought about how to do this, we began breaking the game down into those core experiences, and that what you see now. So with Close Quarters, our second expansion pack [after Back To Karkand], you can really focus in on that infantry combat; and then in the fall we have Armored Kill, which focuses on perhaps our more traditional epic-scale, vehicular warfare stuff.

When I play Battlefield I play all of those thing. Sometimes I jump into a tank, because that's what I want to do at that moment, and then the next moment I might run around on foot because I want to have that experience. With these expansions, I can now have focused content dedicated to those experiences, and giving the player those options has always been a big part of the plan for Battlefield 3.

Platforms: PC | PS3 (tested) | Xbox 360

Developer: DICE

Publisher: EA Games

There's something wrong here. I'm stumbling about from checkpoint to checkpoint, helping to secure positions for my team as one would normally in Conquest mode in a Battlefield game. I can hear gunfire in the distance, and chatter over the headphones, but something's off and it's rather obvious what it is, too. There are no tanks in sight. Not even the whiff of a tank. No jeeps, no trucks, no buggies, no planes...and no tanks whatsoever.

What's more, Battlefield 3 is failing to live up to its name. There's not a field in view, just alabaster pillars, marble floors, mosiac-ridden courtyards, and walls. Everywhere. Walls. Honestly, if things weren't so gloriously shiny, courtesy of Frostbite 2, you'd never guess that this was Battlefield 3.

Perhaps that's the point. Just as we see examples of the proverb that begins "if it ain't broke..." numerous times in this industry, it's perhaps a bit refreshing to see a studio taking on a "nothing ventured..." approach. Except that it looks like breaking new ground for Battlefield 3's claustrophobic expansion - Close Quarters - means giving up the series' eponymous staple in terms of competitive staging, and turning more towards the competition.

So is this exciting new territory for DICE, or further echoes of the cries of COD-wannabe that accompanied BF3's singleplayer campaign?

There's a new variation of Conquest to be had in EA's upcoming Battlefield 3 expansion - "Close Quarters" - that's altogether more claustrophobic, more intense, and more chaotic. Taking the action inside, this latest trailer for Close Quarters shows off the destructible environments of the Donya Fortress, which we got to test out last week. You'll be able to catch up with our Close Quarters preview and interview tomorrow.

Close Quarters is coming this June, launching on Ps3 a week before Xbox 360 and PC.

Battlefield 3's massive latest patch has finally made its way to the Xbox 360 today, and with it, the promised 'Rent A Server' functionality that allows console owners to temporarily buy access to their own dedicated servers. Private, public, ranked or unranked matches can be set up and tweaked to your own specifications, all while removing any hint of host advantage/disadvantage or lag.

We've got a trailer after the break.

Battlefield 3 is getting a big, fat, juicy PC patch tomorrow, that promises to tweak everything from short fall damage to flash supressors. It was originally slated to release yesterday alongside the PS3 version but was held back due to "frustrating" certification issues with the Sony and Microsoft.

DICE global Battlefield community manager Daniel Matros warned players to expect maintenance from 10:00 to 12.30 GMT.

The Xbox 360 version is still undergoing rigorous Microsoft certification, but is expected very soon. The PS3 version is already live as of yesterday, and we've got the full changelog after the break.

Valve's superb puzzle-platformer, Portal 2, swept home with three victories at last night's British Academy Video Game Awards, coming out on top for Best Design, Best Story, and snatching the coveted best Game Award too.

Kudos should also go to EA and DICE, as Battlefield 3 also went home with three awards, winning trophies for Online Multiplayer and Audio Achievement, as well as leading the pack in the public vote, and winning the GAME Award.

Our own Game of the Year for 2011 - Skyrim - left empty-handed, despite being nominated in five categories, and there were no triumphs on the night for the likes of Uncharted 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, or Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Console Players Will Be Able To Rent Dedicated Servers

EA has revealed three new DLC expansions for Battlefield 3, set to release between June and "winter." Players can expect a claustrophobic infantry-only experience in Close Quarters, while heavy metal shenanigans will be provided by Armoured Kill. End Game, the fourth expansion, is still a mystery but has been confirmed for year's end. On top of this trifold bombardment, EA has also confirmed that console players will soon be able to rent their own dedicated servers.

Threat Of Community Blackout Inspires Early Reveal?

DICE has unleashed a truly enormous set of planned patch notes for incoming Battlefield 3 updates, which fixes, balances and optimises practically everything. Prepare to drool all over your keyboard. The timing is fairly interesting, though, since EA has been threatened with a blackout from community site Battlefieldo unless they're kept in the loop about Battlefield announcements.

Will this be enough?

We've got the massive list after the break, which believe it or not, isn't even "complete" yet! Release date is TBA.

Hidden within EA's quarterly financial report is an interesting comment from their VP Of Investor relations that should set Battlefield 3 fans' hearts racing. Peter Ausnit suggests that new content for Battlefield 3 will be unveiled next week as part of a push to ensure a "constant flow" of DLC for their major franchises.

"We've got plans for all of our major franchises to turn them into more of... games for service that have a constant flow of downloadable content. You're going to hear some announcements from us on Battlefield actually as early as next week in an event we've got in New York."

What would you like from Battlefield 3's next DLC pack? [via CVG]