Unveiling the Potential Fate of 'Star Wars Battlefront'
In recent days, the gaming community and Star Wars enthusiasts have been vocal about their craving for another installation of Star Wars Battlefront. The resurgence of interest in DICE's 2017 title, Battlefront II, has been significant, with its player count increasing noticeably on PC and the community aiming to capitalize on the revived momentum with a global, day-long event. This push is inspired by the Star Wars faithful's May 4 holiday and Andor' star Muhannad Ben Amor's call for a sequel, echoing his past days as a devoted player of Battlefront II*.
Over almost two decades, the multiplayer shooter series has had a double life. The original two games, released during the prequel era and developed by Pandemic Studios, shared history with the subsequent, more recent pair, born from the minds of DICE. Despite multiple attempts, neither has made it to number three, although one nearly happened when various developers, including Timesplitters creator Free Radical Design, were working on a Battlefront III for the original series. Before gaining control of the Star Wars game license, LucasArts attempted to revive the series with an online-only entry, a smaller-scale multiplayer game, and a fourth game featuring an alternate reality where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords. However, none of these endeavors bore fruit. With DICE ceasing support for Battlefront II in 2020, the series once again vanished.
The question of whether Star Wars Battlefront could return and if it should do so is intricately linked and somewhat difficult to answer. Manufacturing games based on the Star Wars franchise has occasionally proved challenging throughout the years. Some of the most famous Star Wars games are those that never came to pass, like the Boba Fett-starring 1313 or the third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed, two sub-series that ran parallel to Battlefront. Even EA, with its history of obstacles, canceled a pirate-focused project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently nixed a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian in the works at Respawn, creators of the stellar Star Wars Jedi games.
Currently, DICE is entirely devoted to developing the next Battlefield game, and several other EA studios are on standby as support. With this in mind, another Battlefront couldn't realistically emanate from EA, especially not in the near future. Mats Holm, a former live producer on Battlefront II, recently expressed this sentiment on Reddit, instead advocating for a remaster of the previous game as a precursor to developing a proper sequel. While such a remaster might be the best possible "opening gambit," EA's reluctance to remaster games is a potential roadblock.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has primarily focused its video game attention on single-player titles, such as Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor. Besides the space combat-focused Star Wars Squadrons, EA has yet to re-embrace Star Wars multiplayer, possibly because of the uproar surrounding Battlefront II's initial monetization, which was widely criticized as disastrous. With Fortnite now forming a strong partnership with Star Wars, featuring numerous in-game skins for franchise characters and integrating the plot-important audio log that hints at Palpatine's return in Rise of Skywalker, the epic battle royale has become the most essential multiplayer shooter associated with the franchise.
Battlefront II existed during a time when it could be the sole hub for all Star Wars content, and, as part of the game's rehabilitation efforts, DICE poured an immense amount of resources into post-launch updates that included maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since DICE discontinued support for the game in 2019, Star Wars has found itself intertwined with Fortnite and unsure of the momentum needed to justify a proper Battlefront III.
By 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu will most likely enjoy a Fortnite tie-in, as will the Disney+ series Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film. Like Andor's Lonni Jung, Star Wars has become ensnared in the web of Epic Games, and it's uncertain whether Disney will sever this partnership any time soon.
Regardless of the obstacles, the hope for a Star Wars Battlefront III refuses to wane. But as Star Wars enters a new epoch with more films and shows, and plans to delve into a period both during and after the sequels, it's worth pondering its fit within the franchise's grand scheme, and who will be involved as online games, regardless of their size, tend to be discarded quickly.
For more io9 news, check out the upcoming releases of Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, the future of the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the evolution of Doctor Who.
- Gizmodo and io9 might delve into discussions about the chances of a sequel for the popular multiplayer game, Star Wars Battlefront III, given the success of preceding titles and the current trend of Star Wars games focused on single-player experiences.
- As technology continues to advance and the gaming industry expands, one can envision potential collaborations between Epic Games and Disney, particularly for future Star Wars games, such as the rumored Star Wars Outlaws or Zero Company, potentially incorporating elements from popular Fortnite.
- In a world where game franchises like Star Wars Battlefront have experienced both triumphs and tribulations, it is an intriguing thought to ponder if the games of the future, especially those based on franchises such as Star Wars, will maintain their presence in the long run or quickly fade away as technology and tastes evolve.
