Prospects of the Game 'Star Wars Battlefront' in the Coming Times
Fans and enthusiasts of both gaming and Star Wars are buzzing about the possibility of another Star Wars Battlefront game. The sudden surge in interest was sparked by the growing player count for DICE's Battlefront II on PC and a global day-long event organized by the community to raise its profile and celebrate the dedicated Battlefront crowd. This renewed interest comes on the heels of Andor star Muhannad Ben Amor encouraging the development of Battlefront III.
For over two decades, the Star Wars multiplayer shooter series has had two iterations. The original series, developed by the late Pandemic Studios, and the second, more recent pair which were created by DICE. Regrettably, both failed to reach the coveted third installment. Interestingly, a Battlefront III was reportedly in development, with the help of Timesplitters creator Free Radical Design, but it never came to fruition.
LucasArts made attempts to relaunch the series with an online-only entry, a smaller scale multiplayer game, and an alternate reality game where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords, but none of these projects bore fruit. After DICE stopped updating Battlefront II in 2020, the sub-series disappeared once more.
The debate over whether Star Wars Battlefront deserves a comeback and the reasons behind it are intricately connected and challenging to address. Developing games in the Star Wars universe has proved a tough task as the years have passed. Several iconic Star Wars games that never made it off the drawing board serve as testament to this. EA itself has faced hurdles; it canceled a pirate-centric project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently scrapped a Mandalorian-focused first-person shooter in the works at Respawn, the creators of the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi games.
Currently, DICE is fully engrossed in the development of the next Battlefield game. Alongside several other EA studios, they do not seem equipped or ready to tackle another Battlefront anytime soon. Mats Holm, a former live producer on Battlefront II, suggested on Reddit that a remaster of the previously released game may be the best option before diving into a sequel, with the hope that original team members who want to work on it can be involved in the remaster. Unfortunately, whether EA would choose to remaster the Pandemic-made Battlefront games is uncertain, as they exert greater control over which games they remaster or remake compared to other publishers.
Since the release of Fallen Order in 2019, Star Wars has predominantly focused on single-player titles, such as Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor. With the exception of the space combat-centric Star Wars Squadrons, EA has yet to show much interest in investing in Star Wars multiplayer games, likely due to the extreme backlash facing Battlefront II's monetization tactics and the shift in licensing away from EA. With Fortnite now boasting a significant presence in the multiplayer shooter realm through collaborations with Star Wars, it's taking up much of the franchise's focus.
Previous versions of Star Wars Battlefront thrived in a time when they could lay claim to being the sole hub for all Star Wars content. Battlefront II was marketed as a unifying point for all three trilogies, and in an effort to make amends after its launch, DICE poured energy and resources into updating the game with maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. However, since 2019, Star Wars hasn't seen the consistent growth that might convince developers to invest in a real Battlefront III.
By 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu and other Disney+ shows such as Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film will likely have Fortnite tie-ins, much like Andor's Lonni Jung, making Star Wars all the more entangled in Epic Games' web. It seems unlikely that Disney will abandon this partnership anytime soon. So, while a glimmer of hope for Battlefront III lingers, the odds appear stacked against it, especially as Star Wars embarks on a new phase in its lifespan, promising new movies and shows and exploring times during and after the sequels. In this ever-changing landscape, it's unclear where Battlefront III might fit in the grand scheme of things.
Keep an eye on the latest developments for Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Universe, and Doctor Who following the release of Marvel's Loki Season 2 in May 2023, The Last Jedi TV Series in 2023, the next Star Trek series in 2024, and the DC Universe film The Flash in 2023.
- Gizmodo and io9 might cover the ongoing discussion about the potential development of another Star Wars Battlefront game, considering the renewed interest sparked by Muhannad Ben Amor's encouragement, the growing player count for DICE's Battlefront II, and the challenges faced by EA in creating Star Wars games.
- In a future filled with Star Wars content from various media platforms, tech enthusiasts on Gadgets Now might debate about the feasibility of a remastered version of the original Star Wars Battlefront games, given Mats Holm's suggestion on Reddit and EA's recent approach towards remasters.
- As Disney+ prepares to release shows like The Mandalorian & Grogu, Maul: Shadow Lord, and the 2027 Starfighter film, technology blogs like Engadget and Futurecould discuss the possible impact of these releases on the future of multiplayer Star Wars games, especially considering the currently dominant position of Fortnite in the multiplayer shooter realm.
