Will 'Star Wars Battlefront' Continue to Dominate Gaming Landscape?
Fan clamor for Star Wars Battlefront III revival sparks global event
It's been days since gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts have been vocal about their longing for another installment of Star Wars Battlefront. The recent resurgence of interest in DICE's 2017 Battlefront II has fueled this desire, with its rising player count on PC and the communitywanting to make the most of the renewed buzz with a day-long global event to enhance its player base and display the resilience of the Battlefront community.
This revival has been sparked by Star Wars' May 4 celebration and Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor (Wilmon) advocating for another entry: "I grew up with Battlefront II; I've been a veteran since day one, let's hope a Battlefront III happens."
Over almost 20 years, the multiplayer shooter series has seen two lifetimes. The initial two games were launched during the prequel era, developed by Pandemic Studios, while the second batch, under DICE's direction, never ascended beyond number two. A Battlefront III was nearly born; Free Radical Design, creators of Timesplitters, were among the developers working on this third iteration. But before Electronic Arts (EA) obtained the Star Wars game license, LucasArts attempted to resurrect the series through an online-only entry, a smaller-scale multiplayer game, and a fourth game that featured an alternate reality where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords. These efforts bore no fruit. Once DICE ceased supporting Battlefront II in 2020, the Battlefront lineage was, once more, absent.
The questions of whether Star Wars Battlefront could resurface and why it should are intertwined, complex to answer. Making games for this franchise has historically presented challenges. Many of the most memorable Star Wars games are those that never came to fruition, like the Boba Fett-centric 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed - futuristic Sub-series companionable to Battlefront. Even EA struggled; canceling a pirate-inspired project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently scrapping a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian at Respawn, creators of the critically-acclaimed Star Wars Jedis.
DICE is currently committed to the next Battlefield game, while other EA studios support their efforts, indicating that a new Battlefront couldn't reasonably emerge from EA, or at least not promptly. Mats Holm, an ex-live producer on Battlefront II, recently confirmed this on Reddit, suggesting a remaster of the previous game as a precursor to developing a sequel, preferably with former team members who expressed a desire to work on it. A remaster would provide potential traction but presents an issue with EA: while the games crafted by Pandemic have received remasters, Electronic Arts can be selective over what it chooses to remaster or remake.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has primarily focused on single-player titles, such as Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor. Other than space combat-oriented Star Wars Squadrons, EA hasn't recommitted to Star Wars multiplayer, possibly due to the controversy surrounding Battlefront II's monetization strategy that was initially disastrous and heavily criticized. Fornite's recent "Galactic Battle" tie-in event, the myriad in-game skins for franchise characters, and the plot-critical audio log that discloses Palpatine's return in Rise of Skywalker have solidified Epic Games' battle royale as the franchise's most crucial multiplayer shooter.
Previous versions of Star Wars Battlefront existed in a time when they could encompass all of the franchise. Battlefront II was already presented as a fusion point for the three trilogies, and as part of the game's rehabilitation measures, DICE threw everything they had into post-launch updates, incorporating maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. In the time since DICE stopped supporting the game in 2019, Star Wars hasn't amassed consistent momentum that would warrant a real Battlefront III.
By 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu and the Disney+ series Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film will likely receive a Fortnite tie-in. Star Wars has become ensnared in the web of Epic Games, and it's unlikely Disney will sever that relationship soon. Nevertheless, the hope for a Battlefront III may never die, even though the odds are stacked against it. As Star Wars progresses through a new phase of its life, aiming to explore periods during and post-the sequels, it's unclear where a Battlefront III would fit within the franchise's plans and who will be around to work on it at a time when online games, regardless of size, frequently lose popularity.
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Enrichment Data:- Ex-DICE developers have expressed interest in returning to the Star Wars Battlefront series[1][2]- A fan-made alpha mod for Star Wars Battlefront III has been released[3]- Development of an official Battlefront III is speculative at this point[5]
The fan demand for a Star Wars Battlefront III revival has resonated across various media outlets, with discussions happening on gaming platforms like Gizmodo and io9.
In the past, many promising Star Wars games, such as a third installment for Knights of the Old Republic or the Boba Fett-centric 1313, failed to materialize, adding to the anticipation for a potential Battlefront III.
As Epic Games' Fortnite continues to dominate the Star Wars multiplayer scene, the likelihood of a new Battlefront III emerging from Electronic Arts seems uncertain, given the challenges in making games for the franchise and the current focus on single-player titles.
