Battlefield 3 competition to give away $1.6 million

The massively popular Battlefield gaming franchise is getting ready to launch its 3rd installment 3 it's about to get even more epic. Electronic Arts and Virgin Gaming are teaming up to create the "largest console video game competition in gaming history." And the prize money they're preparing to give away to hardcore BF3 gamers totals a whopping $1.6 million.

The competition will be called the Battlefield 3 Worldwide Conquest Tournament and, as its moniker suggests, will be open to all PS3 and Xbox 360 players worldwide. The tournament starts in early 2012 but you can pre-register now and start rounding up your recruits. The $1.6 million will include both cash and prizes, but complete details haven't been revealed yet. Pre-registering now puts you on the email list to get all the latest updates for the tournament.

The Battlefield 3 game was first demoed at E3 2011, but won't be hitting stores for another month. It's scheduled to be on shelves starting October 25, when it will go head to head with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, Battlefield 3 boasts superior graphics and audio enhancements powered by the new Frostbite 2 engine and now it's got this epic tournament to boot.

[via PlayStation Lifestyle]