Seems as if the rumors of Battlefield 3 are panning out. One of our readers has posted a comment on an old BF3 rumor story from October last year and was kind enough to include a scan of PC Gamer magazine which pretty much confirms the existence of Battlefield 3. And why should EA stop adding to a franchise that makes them loads of $$$ and is still enjoyed by gamers around the world? We sure as hell don’t see a reason.

PC Gamer writes that BF3 is going to be set in modern day, in a fictional war between NATO and the Middle Eastern coalition. There will be persistent stat tracking and new weapons for experienced players. You’ll get to use 34 firearms but in order to enjoy the most powerful of them, you’ll need to work your way up. You’ll also unlock armor, ammo, helmets and accessories. Soldier customization is expected.

BF3 will be powered by the same engine that powers the soon-to-be-released Battlefield Bad Company (gallery), the Frostbite engine. So expect things to blow up real good and some impressive draw distances.

The magazine shows that BF3 will be released within the year so now all we have to do is wait for EA to officially announce the game and hope they’ll release some nice screenshots and even gameplay videos when they do.

Update: Looks like a lot of trigger happy gamers have started passing the image above around the web as the first screenshot from BF3. Calm down, it is not. No screenshots from BF3 have yet been released.