Battlefield 3 to have smaller maps on console

According to DICE the makers of Battlefield 3 the game will have slightly smaller multiplayer maps on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions because sacrifices have to be made to achieve a high quality playable experience. The size of the shrink will vary dependent on the nature of the maps, i.e. those with the most demanding physics and textures will be shrunk more so than those which are much simpler to process. DICE estimates that console versions of each map will be around 70-85% of the original PC map size.

DICE also claims that reducing the map size on console is because the console needs to have a much faster pace of gameplay and by reducing the overall map size it can allow the game to run a lot more smoothly as players can interact with each other in combat much more frequently. This is also seen by many as a way of competiting with the "Modern Warfare" style of close fast paced combat.