The Prospect of Star Wars Battlefront's Upcoming Development
Fervor for a potential third installation of the popular multiplayer shooter series "Star Wars Battlefront" has been revitalized among gamers and fans, partly due to the renewed popularity of DICE's "Battlefront II" and the recent call for another entry by actor Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon in the "Andor" series.
The May 4 holiday, traditionally celebrated by Star Wars enthusiasts, has added to the anticipation. Despite the renewed interest, EA's current focus on select franchises, such as Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends, hints at a questionable future for a Battlefront III.
In the past two decades, the "Star Wars Battlefront" series has gone through two distinct periods. The first two games were developed by Pandemic Studios during the Star Wars prequel era, while the more recent pair originated from the Battlefield developer DICE. Neither series has yet to reach a third installment.
Prior attempts by LucasArts to restart the games have been unsuccessful, including online-only entries, smaller scale multiplayer games, and an alternate reality game featuring Obi-Wan and Luke as Sith Lords. Once DICE stopped supporting "Battlefront II" in 2020, the sub-series was again absent from the gaming landscape.
The possibility of a Battlefront III hinges on whether making games for the Star Wars property would be worthwhile. Throughout the years, some of the most famous Star Wars games were those that never came to fruition, such as a Boba Fett-starring "1313" or third entries for "Knights of the Old Republic" and "Force Unleashed," two sub-series that coexisted with Battlefront. Even EA, the current holders of the Star Wars game license, has faced issues, canceling projects like a pirate-focused game from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian from Respawn.
As of now, DICE is fully committed to the next Battlefield game, and several other EA studios are on standby to support any future projects. Mats Holm, a former live producer on Battlefront II, has suggested a remaster of the previous game as a stepping stone before developing a sequel, preferably with members of the previous team involved. However, the decision to remaster games typically lies with EA, who can be more selective than other publishers in choosing what games to remaster or remake.
Since the release of Fallen Order in 2019, Star Wars has leaned towards single-player titles. With the exception of the space combat-focused Star Wars Squadrons, the franchise has yet to re-commit to multiplayer games. The controversy surrounding the initial monetization of Battlefront II may also be a reason for the publisher's reluctance to dive back into the Star Wars multiplayer scene.
In the competitive multiplayer market, the popular battle royale game Fortnite has become an essential part of the Star Wars universe, thanks to tie-in events, in-game skins for franchise characters, and plot-important audio logs that revealed the return of Palpatine for Rise of Skywalker.
The previous installments of Star Wars Battlefront served as a platform where the entire Star Wars universe could coexist. Battlefront II was marketed as a unifying point for all three trilogies, and upon its re-launch, DICE incorporated maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since the termination of support for the game in 2019, the Star Wars franchise's momentum has shifted away from multiplayer titles, making a real Battlefront III challenging to justify.
As the Star Wars universe expands with new films, shows, and potential spin-offs, it remains to be seen how a new Battlefront game would fit in and who would be involved in its development. For now, fans can only hope that the unwavering spirit of the Battlefront community will eventually lead to another exciting installment in the series.
- Io9, Gizmodo, and various gaming forums have been abuzz with discussions about the potential third installment of Star Wars Battlefront, sparked by Muhannad Ben Amor's call and the renewed popularity of Battlefront II.
- Gadgets and technology enthusiasts at Gizmodo have been exploring the questionable future of a Battlefront III, given Electronic Arts' (EA) current focus on select franchises like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends.
- In the realm of entertainment, sports, games, and technology, Star Wars fans celebrate the May 4 holiday with heightened anticipation for a possible Battlefront III.
- Despite previous unsuccessful attempts by LucasArts, the possibility of a Battlefront III is intriguing, considering the multitude of promising Star Wars games that never made it to fruition, such as 1313, the third entry for Knights of the Old Republic, and Force Unleashed.
