The Outlook for "Star Wars Battlefront": An Analysis
Gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts are being loud and clear about their craving for another installment of Star Wars Battlefront. The recent surge of interest in DICE's Battlefront II has sparked a global day-long event among players aiming to relive the glory days of the Battlefront community. This renewed buzz is all thanks to the May 4 holiday and Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor pleading for more.
The multiplayer shooter series has had an interesting trajectory over close to two decades. Its first chapters were developed during the prequel era by the late Pandemic Studios, while the more recent pair hail from the team behind Battlefield, DICE. Two Battlefront games haven't made it to number three, but the creation process for a third game nearly began – Free Radical Design was once working on a Battlefront III project. However, it all came to a halt when Electronic Arts took over the Star Wars game license, leading to LucasArts' failed attempts to restart the series with an online-only game, a smaller-scale multiplayer title, and an alternate reality game where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords. With DICE's support for Battlefront II ending in 2020, the franchise was on a hiatus once more.
Should a new Star Wars Battlefront game see the light of day? That question is tricky, given the history of star-crossed development for Star Wars games. Some of the most famous games that never saw the light of day include entries for the 1313 and Knights of the Old Republic series, and even projects from EA like the pirate-focused collaboration between Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian from Respawn.
Currently, DICE is all hands on deck for the next entry in the Battlefield series, and other EA studios are lending a helping hand. This leaves little room for another Battlefront anytime soon, let alone from EA. A former live producer on Battlefront II, Mats Holm, suggested a remaster of the previous game as a promising foundation for a sequel, preferably with the involvement of the original team. Remasters of the Pandemic-made Battlefront games aren't out of the question, but Electronic Arts might not choose to remaster or remake everything.
Since the release of Fallen Order in 2019, Star Wars has mostly focused on single-player titles like Outlaws from Ubisoft and Zero Company from Bit Reactor. Apart from the space combat-focused Squadrons, EA hasn't reentered the Star Wars multiplayer scene because of the controversy surrounding the monetization of Battlefront II and the recognition that other publishers can create licensed games for the franchise. If anything, Fortnite has become the most significant multiplayer shooter for Star Wars due to its recent "Galactic Battle" event, numerous in-game skins, and its plot-important audio log that revealed Palpatine's return in Rise of Skywalker.
Battlefront had a chance to bring together all aspects of the Star Wars universe, with Battlefront II already marketed as a unifying point for all three trilogies. In the aftermath, DICE put in a considerable effort in post-launch updates incorporating elements from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since then, Star Wars has connected with Fortnite and other Disney+ series like Maul: Shadow Lord and The Mandalorian & Grogu. The franchise's future lies in new movies and shows, with a focus on exploring the time during and after the sequels. It remains unclear where Star Wars Battlefront III would fit into this plan.
The dream of a third Star Wars Battlefront game may never really die, but its odds aren't looking too good. With Star Wars moving forward with new movies and shows, one can only wonder if there will be room for a third installment amidst all the online games that tend to be quickly forgotten.
- Io9 might discuss the ongoing craving for a new installment of Star Wars Battlefront after the surge of interest in DICE's Battlefront II and the influence of Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor.
- Gadgets and tech blogs like Gizmodo might feature articles on the history of the Star Wars Battlefront series, including its development by studios like Pandemic Studios and DICE, and the various projects that never came to fruition.
- Sports and entertainment news sites could report on the possibility of a Star Wars Battlefront III release, given DICE's current focus on the next Battlefield entry and the limited resources available in other EA studios.
- Games websites like Gamespot or IGN could speculate on the potential of a remastered version of the previous Star Wars Battlefront games as a foundation for a new installment, as suggested by former live producer on Battlefront II, Mats Holm.
