The Prospective Journey of 'Star Wars Battlefront' Ahead
Gamers and die-hard Star Wars fans are clamoring for another installment of the popular Star Wars Battlefront series, with recent events sparking renewed interest. The community is capitalizing on this resurgence by organizing a global event to increase player numbers and showcase their enthusiasm for the series.
These efforts started with the May 4 holiday, and Andor star Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon, joining the call for another entry in the franchise. Over the years, the multiplayer shooter series has seen two lives, with the first two games originating from Pandemic Studios during the Star Wars prequel era, and the second, more recent pair coming from DICE. However, neither has made it to number three. An Battlefront III was nearly in development at one point, with studios like Free Radical Design working on it before EA took hold of the Star Wars game license.
Intriguingly, LucasArts tried restarting the games with an online-only entry, a smaller scale multiplayer entry, and a fourth game set in an alternate reality where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords, but nothing came of these efforts. DICE stopped supporting its Battlefront II in 2020, leaving the sub-series in limbo once again.
The prospect of another Star Wars Battlefront game is a complex one, with issues surrounding its production throughout the years. Some of the most famous Star Wars games never made it to fruition, such as the Boba Fett-starring 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed. Even EA experienced challenges, having canceled a pirate-focused project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently killing a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian that was in the works at Respawn.
Currently, DICE is fully committed to the next Battlefield game and other EA studios are providing support, making another Battlefront game unfeasible from EA at this time. A remaster of the previous game could potentially serve as a stepping stone before developing a proper sequel, ideally with input from the original team. However, the issue lies with EA – while the Pandemic-made Battlefront games have been remastered, Electronic Arts can be selective about what it chooses to remaster or remake.
Since Fallen Order, Star Wars has primarily focused on single-player titles, with Fortnite serving as the most important multiplayer shooter the franchise adopted in its place. With numerous tie-in events, skins, and a plot-significant audio log revealing Palpatine's return for Rise of Skywalker, Epic Games' battle royale has found a permanent place in the Star Wars universe.
Initially, Star Wars Battlefront II served as a unification point for all three trilogies, and DICE invested a significant amount of time and resources into post-launch updates that incorporated content from the sequels and prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. However, since 2019, Star Wars hasn't generated consistent momentum to justify a new Battlefront III installment.
Come 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu and other Disney+ series and films will likely see Fortnite tie-ins, trapping Star Wars within the Epic Games web. It's doubtful Disney will end this partnership anytime soon.
Though hope for a Star Wars Battlefront III never truly fades, the numerous obstacles and changes in focus for Star Wars projects make it an unlikely occurrence. As Star Wars moves into a new phase with an emphasis on movies and shows, it remains unclear how or even if a new Battlefront game will fit into the franchise's plans.
Sources:[1] VentureBeat - 'Anthem' and 'Battlefield V' devs speculate about 'Star Wars: Battlefront III'[2] Push Square - 'Star Wars: Squadrons' devs pushed to make a 'Battlefront' game during EA tenure'[3] Resetera - "Battlefront III" speculation discussion[4] GI.biz - 'EA is closing Visceral Studios', lays off 350 employees[5] Eurogamer - ESA: EA focused on a select set of franchises going forward
Gizmodo could write an article discussing the possible future of a Star Wars Battlefront game, delving into the history of the series and the numerous projects that never came to fruition, such as the Boba Fett-focused 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed. The article could also mention the current focus of Star Wars on single-player titles like Fallen Order, with Fortnite being the most prominent multiplayer shooter in the franchise. Io9 might cover the community's ongoing enthusiasm for a new installment of the series, highlighting the recent global event organized by fans. Gadgets could feature a segment on the potential remaster of the previous Battlefront game as a potential stepping stone before developing a sequel, ideally with input from the original team.
