The Prospect of 'Star Wars Battlefront' in Days to Come
Gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts have been clamoring for a new installment of the Star Wars Battlefront series lately, with DICE's Battlefront II (2017) experiencing a resurgence in popularity. The community is aiming to capitalize on this spark by organizing a day-long global event to boost player numbers and showcase the enduring spirit of the Battlefront community.
All of this fervor kicked off during Star Wars' May 4 holiday, and actor Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon in Andor, recently expressed his desire for another entry: "Grew up with Battlefront II; been a veteran since day one, let's hope a Battlefront III happens."
Over nearly 20 years, the multiplayer shooter series has gone through two lives. Its first two games, created during the Star Wars prequel era by the now-defunct Pandemic Studios, and the more recent pair developed by Battlefield juggernaut DICE, have both failed to reach a third iteration. One attempt at Battlefront III was made by several developers, including Timesplitters creator Free Radical Design, but it never came to fruition.
LucasArts tried to revitalize the franchise during its time with an online-only entry, a smaller-scale multiplayer game, and an alternate reality fourth game featuring Obi-Wan and Luke as Sith Lords, but none of these ideas bore fruit. Once DICE stopped supporting Battlefront II in 2020, the franchise vanished once again.
Questioning the viability and necessity of a Star Wars Battlefront revival is a complex and delicate matter. Producing games based on this intellectual property has presented challenges over the years. Some of the most renowned Star Wars games are the ones that never came to fruition, such as the Boba Fett-starring 1313 and third installments for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed, two sub-series that co-existed with Battlefront.
Even EA faced troubles: it cancelled pirate-focused projects from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently scrapped a first-person shooter set on a Mandalorian that was in development at Respawn, creators of the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi games.
At the moment, DICE is entirely focused on the next Battlefield game and has several other EA studios providing support. As a result, another Battlefront release from EA is highly improbable, if not impossible, at this time. Mats Holm, a former live producer on Battlefront II, recently commented on Reddit that a remaster of the previous game would be the best potential "in," but EA might be selective when it comes to remakes, as it was with the Pandemic-made Battlefront games.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has primarily focused on single-player titles like Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor. Apart from the space combat-focused Star Wars Squadrons, EA hasn't shown much interest in Star Wars multiplayer, possibly due to the extensive criticism it faced regarding the monetization of Battlefront II's launch. This criticism is believed to be the reason why other companies are now licensed to create Star Wars games.
Furthermore, Fortnite has become an essential part of the franchise's multiplayer scene thanks to the recent "Galactic Battle" tie-in event, countless in-game skins for franchise characters, and a plot-significant audio log that hints at the return of Palpatine in Rise of Skywalker.
At one time, both previous versions of Star Wars Battlefront could be the only hub for the entire Star Wars universe. Battlefront II was marketed as a unification point for all three trilogies, and post-launch updates incorporated maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since support for the game ended in 2019, Star Wars has become entwined with Fortnite, and it seems doubtful that Disney will sever this partnership anytime soon.
Regardless of the obstacles, the hope for a Star Wars Battlefront III never truly dies. However, as Star Wars enters a new phase with more movies and shows exploring times during and after the sequels, it remains to be seen how Battlefront III would fit into the franchise's plans, and who will be involved at a time when online games are quickly being discarded.
Catch up on upcoming releases from Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, as well as the latest developments in the DC Universe and the future of Doctor Who.
- Gizmodo recently discusses the enduring anticipation for a new Star Wars Battlefront game, highlighting Muhannad Ben Amor's desire for a Battlefront III.
- Despite the challenges and cancellations faced in developing Star Wars games, particularly in the realm of multiplayer titles, the wish for a Star Wars Battlefront III persists.
- In the future, technology advancements and growing trends in gaming may present opportunities for a revitalized Star Wars Battlefront series, potentially interwoven with popular games like Fortnite or new IPs such as Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and Bit Reactor's Zero Company.
