The Battlefield 1942 Website now has word on the next installment in what's becoming a series of Battlefield games. Here's the skinny:

EA AND DIGITAL ILLUSIONS ANNOUNCE DEVELOPMENT OF BATTLEFIELD VIETNAM

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 19, 2003 – Lock and load your M-16 and grab your flak jacket, it’s time to hit the jungle in Battlefield Vietnam™. Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that Battlefield Vietnam for the PC is under development and expects to debut in early 2004. The title will be published and distributed by Electronic Arts under the EA GAMES™ brand.

The Battlefield franchise is entering a new era with more firepower and beautiful yet ferocious new combat settings. Staying true to the over-the-top, action-packed multiplayer style that gave Battlefield 1942™ its critical and commercial success, Battlefield Vietnam will drop players into some of the Vietnam War’s fiercest battles. Fighting in theatres from jungles surrounding the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the city streets of Hue, players will choose from two well-equipped forces, the United States or the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Vietcong.

Offering an arsenal of weapons and vehicles authentic to the Vietnam conflict, players will battle in first-person perspective. The workhorse vehicle for the U.S. during the conflict was the helicopter and it will serve the same purpose in Battlefield Vietnam. The NVA will be outfitted with many Russian-made vehicles including the T-54 tank and Mig-21 jet. Taking a step forward from its franchise predecessors, Battlefield Vietnam will allow passengers to fire from moving vehicles and players will have the ability to airlift other vehicles via helicopter. The game will also deploy new rendering and sound engines that will help take players deeper into the 1960’s mindset.

Battlefield Vietnam, like its brethren Battlefield games, allows players to join forces on teams in games up to 64 players over the Internet, or jump into single player action. Battlefield Vietnam is being developed by Digital Illusions Canada, a subsidiary of Sweden-based Digital Illusions.