And developer DICE delivered, with 64 players on stage playing live and a 64-player BF4 LAN on the show floor, including commanders on each end with plenty of extra screens for spectating teammates. It was as much a game as it was an event and EA’s strive for e-sports support with Battlefield 4 was evident. During the summer video games lull we’ve learned a few more tidbits about Battlefield 4 and have a few more questions that still need to be answered.

In an interview with Game Informer, DICE GM Karl Magnus Troedsson revealed that Battlefield 4 will have Kinect features and stresses that they’re being implemented with a purpose, instead of as a marketing gimmick:

There better not be any voice commands for reloading or throwing grenades a la Halo Anniversary. What Kinect features make sense for the console version of Battlefield outside of the obvious voice/video communication?

Speaking with IGN, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau hinted that the successfully Battlefield Premium program for BF3 would be returning for BF4 but - like Troedsson holding back on the Kinect features - would not reveal details.

Clearing up a few questions on Battlefield 4 multiplayer and differences in the game between current and next-gen platforms, DICE multiplayer producer Aleksander Grøndal spoke with AusGamers confirmed that the PS3 and Xbox 360 will not feature 64-player multiplayer.

This is one of the reasons the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were inferior to the PC and a strong example of why these consoles have been dated for sometime. Console gamers looking to upgrade to the PS4 or Xbox One this fall should hold out a few extra weeks for the next-gen version of Battlefield 4 that takes advantage of the power of the Frostbite 3 engine. Lastly, in the vein of teases and unanswered questions, Grondal teased that there will be smaller, infantry focused maps and that cloud support may have a role to play in the game, but wouldn’t go into details.

Battlefield 4 is slated for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 29, with PS4 and Xbox One release dates still to be determined.

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Sources: AusGamers, Game Informer (via Videogamer), IGN