To say that Electronic Arts and DICE’s troubles with Star Wars Battlefront 2 were widely pronounced is very much an understatement. Ever since its incredibly troubled and controversial launch back in 2017 – which really kicked off the debates and arguments with regards to loot boxes and video game monetization – the game has been through a lot of changes, slowly but surely trying to earn back the player base’s trust. Despite the bad press, it has sort of bounced back through constant free upgrades and positive gameplay changes, but if the next rumors are true then its release may have left far too much of a bad taste with EA, so much so that we may not be getting a new Battlefront title soon.
Of course, like most rumors, this should be taken as a grain of salt, despite the perceived trustworthiness of its leaker. According to an Instagram post from Bespin Bulletin, which collates leaks and rumors all related to Star Wars, Electronic Arts is eschewing a third Battlefront title. The series’ developer, DICE, will instead be busy with a new Battlefield title set to release sometime in 2021. Check out the complete Instagram post below.
A lot of the post makes sense, seeing that DICE and EA are still reeling from the less-than-stellar showing of Battlefield V, a game which also had its shares of controversy. With the developer basically out in full force for this next game, Electronic Arts will shift its Star Wars-related focus towards two developers; EA Motive is reportedly in the process of developing a combat flight sim known as Project Maverick, which is set to be released in 2021. Meanwhile, in between the constant updates to Apex Legends, Respawn Entertainment is focusing on a sequel to the massively successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is arguably the best of EA’s efforts for Star Wars games. This sequel will reportedly release sometime in 2022.
All of that said, if we consider everything in the timeline, we may not see another Battlefront title at all for the foreseeable future. Electronic Arts’ deal with Lucasfilm to exclusively produce Star Wars games ends in 2023; this means that if a third title in the series ever arrives, it may end up not being developed by DICE if Lucasfilm finds another major publisher to produce Star Wars games.
