Prospects of the Upcoming 'Star Wars Battlefront' Instalment
Gamers and hardcore Star Wars fans aren't shy about expressing their appetite for another installment of the epic multiplayer shooter series, Star Wars Battlefront. There's been a rekindled fervor around DICE's Battlefront II, particularly as its player count has been on the rise on PC platforms. This resurgence of interest has the gaming community aiming to convert the renewed buzz into a day-long global event to display the lasting camaraderie within the Battlefront community.
Actor Muhannad Ben Amor, playing Wilmon in the hit series Andor, recently joined the chorus of fans requesting Battlefront III. The series has now spanned over two decades, but with two lives so far - developed by Pandemic Studios during the prequel era and more recently by DICE. However, neither iteration managed to make it to the third game. A Battlefront III developed by several studios, including Timesplitters creator Free Radical Design, was once in the works but never saw the light of day.
Over the years, making games set in the Star Wars universe has sometimes proven challenging. Many fan-favorite Star Wars games have been ideas that never materialized, such as the Boba Fett-starring 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed. Even Electronic Arts, the current lic holder, faced troubles. They shelved projects from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently canceled a first-person shooter focused on the Mandalorian that was being developed by Respawn.
Currently, DICE is devoting all its attention to the upcoming Battlefield game while other EA studios are on standby to provide support. This means another Battlefront game from EA is unlikely, and certainly not in the near future. Former Battlefront II producer Mats Holm recently suggested on Reddit that a remaster of the earlier game could serve as an excellent starting point before creating a sequel, provided that key members of the original team were willing to participate.
When it comes to remastering or remaking games, Electronic Arts tends to be more selective than other publishers. For instance, the Pandemic-made Battlefront games have seen remasters, but EA isn't always keen on remaking games. Since the release of 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has focused primarily on single-player titles, with notable exceptions such as the space combat-focused Squadrons and Fortnite's Galactic Battle tie-in event featuring numerous Star Wars characters.
The initial controversy surrounding the monetization of Battlefront II was devastating and heavily criticized, and it may have played a part in EA losing the exclusive rights to create Star Wars licensed games. In addition, Fortnite has established itself as an essential component of Star Wars' multiplayer presence through collaborations and tie-ins with numerous Star Wars properties.
Battlefront II was designed to serve as a unifying force for all three trilogies, and in an effort to rectify its negative reputation, DICE poured resources into post-launch updates that incorporated characters, maps, and weapons from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since then, Star Wars hasn't consistently rolled out new content that would warrant a real Battlefront III. As The Mandalorian & Grogu, Maul: Shadow Lord, and the Starfighter film approach in 2026 and beyond, it remains to be seen where Star Wars Battlefront fits into the franchise's plans.
Stay tuned for updates on upcoming Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Universe, and Doctor Who releases, as well as insights into the future of gaming and franchises.
[1] https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-battlefront-iii-resurging-rumors[2] https://gamespot1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/image/1642/4673/4064031/abstract-2x.jpg[3] https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/star-wars-battlefront-ii-gun-run-update/[4] https://youtube.com/shorts/CRJk1EHho1k?feature=share[5] https://youtu.be/m6Ou89Z9usQ?t=432
- The resurging interest in Battlefront III among gamers and hardcore Star Wars fans has sparked discussions about a potential remaster of the original Battlefront game, as suggested by former Battlefront II producer Mats Holm on Reddit.
- Despite the frequent demands for Battlefront III, Electronic Arts (EA) has been selective with its remasters and remakes, having only remastered the Pandemic-made Battlefront games in the past, but not always favoring remakes.
- With the focus on single-player titles in the Star Wars universe and the controversy surrounding the monetization of Battlefront II, it remains uncertain whether a third installment of the Star Wars Battlefront series will be developed in the near future.
