The Prospects for the Upcoming Instalment of 'Star Wars Battlefront'?
In the last few days, the gaming community and die-hard Star Wars enthusiasts have been vocal about their craving for a new Star Wars Battlefront game. The revitalized hype for DICE's 2017 offering, * Battlefront II, with a reported rise in its player count on PC, has sparked the idea of a day-long global event to boost its numbers and shine a spotlight on the loyal Battlefront* community.
This wave of sentiment was further fueled by Andor star Muhannad Ben Amor (his character was Wilmon), who tweeted about his childhood love for Battlefront II and expressed optimism about a possible Battlefront III.
Spanning nearly two decades, the multiplayer shooter series has only produced two games. The first pair soon became iconic, created by the late Pandemic Studios during the Star Wars prequel era, while the more recent duo can be traced back to Battlefield developer DICE. Despite the absence of a third installment, an unrealized Battlefront III was previously in the works, with Timesplitters creator Free Radical Design among the developers involved.
Back in the day, LucasArts tried pushing the Battlefront franchise forward, with plans for an online-only game, a smaller-scale multiplayer title, and a fourth game featuring an alternate timeline with Obi-Wan and Luke as Sith Lords – but these attempts never saw the light of day. Following DICE's abandonment of Battlefront II in 2020, the series has once again faded into obscurity.
The question of whether Star Wars Battlefront can make a comeback and, if so, why it should, presents a complex conundrum. Throughout the years, making games set in the Star Wars universe has proven to be a challenging endeavor. Some of the most memorable Star Wars games are the ones that never came to fruition, like the Boba Fett-focused 1313 and third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed, two popular sub-series.
Even Electronic Arts, who owns the license for the franchise, has faced turbulent times. Canceled projects from Visceral Games and Motive Studios and the recent shelving of a Mandalorian-themed first-person shooter from Respawn, the minds behind the critically acclaimed Star Wars Jedi games, underline the challenges. Currently, DICE is strictly focused on developing the next Battlefield game, with other EA studios lending support, making a new Battlefront an unlikely venture from EA, let alone in the near future.
Former live producer on Battlefront II, Mats Holm, suggested that a remaster of the previous game could be a good starting point for the development of a proper sequel, ideally with members of the original team eager to work on it. However, securing a remaster from EA could present an issue, as they may not always choose to remaster or remake games as readily as other publishers.
Since the release of Fallen Order in 2019, the Star Wars gaming universe has largely focused on single-player titles. Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and Bit Reactor's 2026 Zero Company are among the forthcoming single-player titles, while Star Wars Squadrons remains the only multiplayer game during this period. Aside from multiplayer shooters, Fortnite has established a strong presence in the Star Wars gaming landscape, with Galactic Battle tie-in events, numerous character skins, and plot-revealing audio logs, making it a significant player in the franchise’s multiplayer realm.
Previous iterations of Star Wars Battlefront thrived during a time when they were the sole forces representing the entire Star Wars universe. Battlefront II was marketed as a convergence point for the three trilogies, pouring all its resources into post-launch updates featuring content from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since DICE phased out support for the game in 2019, Star Wars has not maintained a clear momentum that would warrant a justified Battlefront III.
By 2026, the cinematic and streaming universe of The Mandalorian & Grogu will likely coincide with a Fortnite crossover event, as will the Disney+ series Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film. Much like Lonni Jung in Andor, Star Wars now finds itself ensnared within the intricate web of Fortnite, and it is doubtful that Disney will sever ties with the platform anytime soon.
While the dream of a Star Wars Battlefront III may persist, the odds appear to be stacked against it. With the Star Wars universe expanding and focusing on the post-sequel era, it remains to be seen if a new Battlefront would fit into the franchise's grand plan and whether the passionate team needed to bring it to life will materialize.
The passionate community of gamers and Star Wars fans continue to express their desire for a new installment in the Star Wars Battlefront series, with the revitalized interest in Battlefront II fueling speculation about a potential Battlefront III. However, the challenges faced by Electronic Arts in developing games set in the Star Wars universe, coupled with DICE's focus on the next Battlefield game, make a new Battlefront an unlikely venture in the near future. Even if a remaster of Battlefront II were to be developed, securing it from EA could present an issue, as they may not always choose to remaster or remake games as readily as other publishers.
