The Outlook for the Upcoming Era of 'Star Wars Battlefront'
Gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts have been hollering loud and clear about wanting a new installment of Star Wars Battlefront. The latest surge of excitement for DICE's Battlefront II (2017) has prompted the community to orchestrate a day-long global event to revitalize its player base and showcase the unwavering passion of the Battlefront community. This upsurge kicked off on Star Wars Day, and Andor star Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon, added fuel to the fire by expressing his long-time admiration for the game and expressing his hope for a Battlefront III.
The Star Wars Battlefront saga has had a bit of a rollercoaster journey over nearly two decades. Its first two games, developed by Pandemic Studios during the prequel era, set the stage, while the more recent duo was conjured up by the team behind Battlefield, DICE. Unfortunately, there's been no sequel to number two, but one almost happened; a Battlefront III from various developers, including the creator of Timesplitters, Free Radical Design, almost became a reality before Electronic Arts took over the Star Wars game licenses.
Efforts to resurrect the games included online-only entries, smaller multiplayer titles, and an alternate reality where Obi-Wan and Luke were Sith Lords. However, these endeavors never bore fruit. Once DICE stopped supporting Battlefront II in 2020, the sub-series mysteriously vanished.
So, is another Star Wars Battlefront game on the horizon, and why should it make a comeback? These questions are intertwined and posing an answer is tricky, to say the least. Creating games for this iconic property has been no walk in the park. Although some of the most famous Star Wars games never materialized, like the Boba Fett-starring 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed, potential third entries for both sub-series have been marred by cancellations.
DICE is currently elbow-deep in the next Battlefield game, with other EA studios lending a hand. Consequently, another Battlefront installment appears highly improbable, especially given the timeline. While a remaster of the previous game could be a viable "entry point," the hurdle lies with Electronic Arts. Although they've remastered the Pandemic-made Battlefront games, they can be choosy when it comes to remastering or remaking games.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has mainly focused on single-player titles, such as Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor. EA has yet to recommit to Star Wars multiplayer, likely due to the backlash suffered by Battlefront II's initial monetization model – arguably the reason why the publisher is no longer the sole gatekeeper for licensed Star Wars games.
In a completely different corner of the gaming universe, the multiplayer shooter landscape is dominated by Fortnite, which, thanks to its collaboration with Star Wars in a "Galactic Battle" tie-in event, in-game skins for various franchise characters, and a plot-important audio log that hints at Palpatine's shocking return in Rise of Skywalker, has effectively become the most significant Star Wars multiplayer game in existence.
In the past, both versions of Star Wars Battlefront thrived in a world where they were the sole repositories for all things Star Wars. With Battlefront II already marketed as a convergence point for the three trilogies, DICE pulled out all the stops post-launch, incorporating maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo to keep the game relevant. However, since support for Battlefront II ended in 2019, Star Wars has found itself primarily tied to Fortnite, and amid the Disney+ series Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film, it seems trussed up in the web of Epic Games.
It may seem that hope for a Star Wars Battlefront III is like a lightsaber slicing through fog, but the flame of fandom persists. As Star Wars steps into a new phase, promising more movies and shows set during and beyond the sequels, one can't help but wonder how a new Battlefront installment would fit into the franchise's blueprint, and which studios might be involved when the online gaming landscape is quick to abandon titles.
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- Despite the challenges in creating games for the iconic Star Wars property, the passionate community longs for a third installment of the Star Wars Battlefront series, such as a potential Battlefront III.
- From the developers who brought us Battlefield, DICE, the Star Wars Battlefront saga has seen a tumultuous journey, with various attempts at resuscitating the games – including online-only entries and alternate reality games – but none have come to fruition.
- As Star Wars ventures into a new phase, with more movies and shows beyond the sequels, fans can't help but speculate whether a new Battlefront installment might find its place in the franchise's blueprint, particularly considering the dominant multiplayer landscape of games like Fortnite and potential studios that could be involved.
