The Prospects for the Continuation of 'Star Wars Battlefront' Series
Gamers and devoted Star Wars enthusiasts have been vocalizing their enthusiasm for a new Star Wars Battlefront game in recent days. The resurgence of interest in DICE's Battlefront II, released in 2017, has been notable, with its player count rising on PC and the community aiming to leverage this renewed popularity by organizing a day-long global event to boost participation and display the enduring enthusiasm of the Battlefront community.
This surge has been catalyzed by Star Wars' May 4 holiday and Andor actor Muhannad Ben Amor, who portrayed Wilmon, expressing his longing for another installment: "Grew up with Battlefront II; been a veteran since day one, let's hope for Battlefront III."
Over nearly two decades, the multiplayer shooter series has experienced two phases. Its initial two games were developed during the Star Wars prequel era by the late Pandemic Studios, while the subsequent, recent duo comes from Battlefield developer DICE. Despite neither reaching the third number, one version nearly materialized; a Battlefront III for the original series was in development by various studios, including TimeSplitters creator Free Radical Design. Before Electronic Arts obtained the Star Wars game license, LucasArts attempted to revive the games with an online-only entry, a smaller-scale multiplayer entry, and a fourth game set in an alternate reality featuring Obi-Wan and Luke as Sith Lords, but nothing came to fruition from these endeavors. Once DICE ceased supporting Battlefront II in 2020, the sub-series disappeared from the scene.
The questions of whether a Star Wars Battlefront game can return and why it should be reintroduced are intertwined and challenging to answer. Developing games for this property has often been a demanding task throughout the years. Some of the most renowned 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, two sub-series that coexisted with Battlefront. Even Electronic Arts encountered difficulties; it canceled a pirate-focused project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently shelved a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian in the works at Respawn, creators of the critically acclaimed Star Wars Jedi games.
Presently, DICE is solely concentrated on the next Battlefield game, while other EA studios are available for support. Given this, another Battlefront couldn't realistically stem from EA, let alone anytime soon. Mats Holm, a former live producer on Battlefront II, voiced as much on Reddit, suggesting instead a remaster of the previous game to serve as a stepping stone before developing a proper sequel, preferably with anyone from the previous team who wished to be involved. A remaster would be the most promising prospect, but the issue lies with Electronic Arts: while the Pandemic-made Battlefront games have been remastered, the publishing giant can be selective with what it chooses to remaster or remake.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has largely kept its focus on single-player titles, including 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 recommitted to Star Wars multiplayer, possibly because the controversy surrounding Battlefront II's initial monetization was so disastrous and heavily criticized that it led to the publisher no longer being the sole creator of licensed games for the franchise. Furthermore, the recent "Galactic Battle" tie-in event in Fortnite, in-game skins for various franchise characters, and the plot-significant audio log that revealed Emperor Palpatine's return for Rise of Skywalker have made Fortnite the most important multiplayer shooter the franchise could have.
The previous iterations of Star Wars Battlefront existed at a time when they could be the only platform for the entire Star Wars universe. Battlefront II was already marketed as a unification point for all three trilogies, and as part of the game's rehabilitation efforts, DICE dedicated significant resources to post-launch updates that incorporated maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels and prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. In the time since DICE discontinued support for the game in 2019, Star Wars hasn't gained consistent momentum that would justify a genuine Battlefront III, as it was also not tied exclusively to Fortnite, but was also linked to the Disney+ series Andor's Lonni Jung and forthcoming Mandalorian and Starfighter projects, establishing it within the web of Epic Games.
With Star Wars entering a new phase of its life that promises more films and shows, and hopes to explore a period during and after the sequels, one wonders how it would fit into the franchise's plans, and who will be available for it at a time when online games, regardless of their size, are quickly cast aside.
- The enthusiasm for a new Star Wars Battlefront game has grown, with gamers and Star Wars fans expressing their desire for Battlefront III, such as Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon in Andor.
- While DICE is currently focused on the next Battlefield game, a remaster of the previous Star Wars Battlefront game could serve as a stepping stone towards a proper sequel, according to a former live producer on Battlefront II.
- As Star Wars enters a new phase with more films and shows, questions arise about how a new Battlefront game could fit into the franchise's plans, given that online games, regardless of their size, are often quickly overshadowed by new releases in the technology-driven future of gadgets and games featured on Gizmodo, io9, and other technology outlets.
