Predicting the Destiny of "Star Wars Battlefront" Series
Gamers and Star Wars enthusiasts have expressed a growing enthusiasm for a new Star Wars Battlefront game, with DICE's Battlefront II receiving renewed attention. The community aims to capitalize on this surge of interest with a day-long global event to boost player numbers and showcase the enduring spirit of the Battlefront community.
This resurgence in interest has been inspired by the Star Wars May 4 holiday and Andor star Muhannad Ben Amor's recent call for another entry. Over nearly 20 years, the multiplayer shooter series has had two distinct lives. The first two games were developed during the Star Wars prequel era by the late Pandemic Studios, while the second, more recent pair were created by Battlefield developer DICE. Despite multiple attempts, neither series has reached a third game.
Star Wars Battlefront's return and reasons for such a return are closely linked and challenging to answer. Developing games for this property has occasionally been a difficult task. Some of the most famous Star Wars games are the ones that never happened, like the Boba Fett-starring 1313 or third entries for Knights of the Old Republic and Force Unleashed, two sub-series that coexisted with Battlefront. Even EA faced difficulties; it canceled a pirate-focused project from Visceral Games and Motive Studios, and more recently, a first-person shooter centered on a Mandalorian was terminated at Respawn, creators of the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi games.
Currently, EA is focused on the next Battlefield game, while several other studios are offering support. Given this focus, another Battlefront could not realistically come from EA, let alone soon. A remaster of the previous game could potentially serve as a jumping-off point before developing a proper sequel, preferably with members of the previous team who wanted to work on it. However, the decision to remaster or remake a game lies with EA, which can be more selective than other publishers.
Since 2019's Fallen Order, Star Wars has primarily focused on single-player titles, with Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws and 2026's Zero Company from Bit Reactor among them. Despite the controversy surrounding Battlefront II's initial monetization and criticism, EA has yet to recommit to Star Wars multiplayer. Fortnite has become an important multiplayer shooter for the franchise due to its recent "Galactic Battle" tie-in event, numerous in-game skins, and story-critical audio logs revealing Palpatine's return in Rise of Skywalker.
The previous incarnations of Star Wars Battlefront existed at a time when they could be the only place where the entire Star Wars universe existed. Battlefront II was already marketed as a unification point for all three trilogies, and as part of the game's rehabilitation efforts, DICE poured everything it had into post-launch updates that incorporated maps, weapons, and characters from the sequels, prequels, Rogue One, and Solo. Since DICE ended support for the game in 2019, Star Wars has not made consistent momentum that would justify a real Battlefront III happening.
With the Mandalorian and Grogu expected to get a Fortnite tie-in in 2026, and Disney+ series like Maul: Shadow Lord and the 2027 Starfighter film, it appears that Star Wars has become trapped in the web of Epic Games. It's uncertain when or if Disney will end this partnership, but hope for a Battlefront III continues to persist, despite the challenges and uncertainties.
- Gizmodo and Io9 have featured articles discussing the hope for a new Star Wars Battlefront game, as the community organizes a global event to boost interest and showcase the enduring spirit of the Battlefront community.
- The multiplayer shooter series Star Wars Battlefront, which spans over two distinct eras, has not had a third game despite multiple attempts, with projects from developers like Visceral Games, Motive Studios, and Respawn being canceled.
- Despite the recent focus of Star Wars on single-player titles, the lack of a real Star Wars Battlefront III could change with the anticipated Mandalorian tie-in in Fortnite in 2026, along with upcoming Disney+ series and films, possibly indicating a shift in focus for the franchise.
