With the console versions out of the way, it appears DICE is pimping up the upcoming release of the PC version of Mirror’s Edge with support for PhysX’s physics engine, noting that NVIDIA 8-series and above cards will offer enhanced physics support for the game.

In fact, to show off the power of the PC, they released a trailer showcasing PhysX effects below. The game is due out on PC in January 2009.

This post on the Battlefield Heroes website carries word that testing on the shooter will end tomorrow. The developers are incorporating feedback earned during the closed beta into the final game and that they plan on reopening the beta “early next year.”

The subscription-free multiplayer shooter will be released sometime next year. It was originally marked for release this winter.

Some brand new high-resolution screenshots from Battlefield: Bad Company. The game is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

Former employees of Digital Illusions Canada have opened Redjade, a new game development studio focusing on supplying art creation services for the PC and next-generation consoles.

Led and founded by Fredrik Liliegren, who was previously the CEO of Digital Illusions AB, the company is based in London, Ontario and will focus on creating 2D and 3D art assets. Further information can be found on Redjade’s website.

Three screenshots and two renders from Battlefield: Bad Company for the PS3 and Xbox 360:

Five new screenshots from the upcoming multiplayer shooter from EA and DICE.

The Battlefield 2142 website carries details of a “veteran’s program” for the game, giving perks to those who pre-order the upcoming entry in the venerable multiplayer shooter series.

Players who pre-order the game from GameStop or EBGames will receive an instant promotion the first time they log on to the game; they’ll get immediate access to unlocks including the shotgun add-on for the assault rifle, and more. Those players will also be marked as veterans and will be indicated via an on-screen indicator of their status. There’s more to it, so check out the site for details.

EA and DICE have announced Battlefield: Bad Company, a new single-player game in the popular franchise, for PS3 and Xbox 360. Built from the ground-up for next-gen consoles using Digital Illusions’ Frostbite game engine, Bad Company will feature a “deep, cinematic single-player experience loaded with adventure and dark humor.” The game will have players stepping into the shoes of a squad of renegade soldiers behind enemy lines on a personal quest for “gold and revenge.”

As per the announcement, Bad Company will feature sandbox gameplay in an universe where nearly everything is destructible. “The heart of DICE’s multiplayer games is the frenetic, unpredictable nature of the sandbox experience, where anything could happen at any moment, and that’s what we’re bringing to the core of Battlefield: Bad Company’s single-player campaign, said Karl Magnus Troedsson, senior producer at DICE. “In a world that’s 90 percent destructible, the gameplay possibilities are infinite — the battlefield is always changing, forcing players, teammates, and enemies to react accordingly. Gamers will have total freedom to adapt to and tackle challenges in creative Battlefield-style ways.”

Slated to ship sometime next year for the aforementioned consoles, Bad Company will also feature multiplayer options that will make use of the game’s massively destructible environments. No other details or screenshots were released, but EA did send out an image showing highly detailed soldiers’ faces.

New screenshots from Battlefield 2142:

Digital Illusions has announced that EA’s relationship with the company has culminated in a full merger between the two companies. Previously a majority stockholder in the Battlefield developer, EA will now acquire the remaining stake in the Swedish developer, effectively making DICE a fully integrated studio within EA.

In connection with the merger, DICE shareholders will receive SEK 67.50 per share in cash, representing a premium of 30% to DICE’s closing price on March 16, 2006. EA currently owns approximately 68 percent of the shares of DICE. EA also holds warrants, which entitle EA to purchase an additional 2.3 million shares. On a fully diluted basis, EA owns approximately 74 percent of the outstanding capital and votes in DICE.

The merger is subject to approval by a 2/3 majority vote of shares at the Annual General Shareholders Meeting of DICE, which is scheduled for May 24, 2006. The merger is subject to customary closing conditions and is anticipated to close in September 2006.