Electronic Arts recently announced it has a new Star Wars FPS in development, but the Battlefront series appears to be on indefinite hiatus.
Electronic Arts announced three new Star Wars games recently, one of which is an untitled first-person shooter. Following the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm and its games division, and the subsequent exclusive lending of the Star Wars games license to EA, the publisher's first move was to reboot the beloved Star Wars: Battlefront series. EA's Battlefront II released in late 2017, but the series now appears to be indefinitely on ice.
Of EA's three newly announced Star Wars games, a third Battlefront is not among them. The untitled FPS, which came alongside confirmation of a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel and the announcement of a Star Wars strategy game, is in development at Respawn Entertainment. The Battlefront reboot series has been a product of DICE, which has apparently moved on from the Star Wars IP entirely. Respawn has plenty of FPS development experience from creating the Titanfall series, and its shared universe battle royale spin-off, Apex Legends.
Following these three Star Wars announcements, it would appear EA has no desire to move forward with the Battlefront series. According to Venture Beat, which spoke to "people familiar with [EA's] announcement," the publisher has consolidated all of its planned Star Wars projects under the supervision of Respawn. The only minor exception is the aforementioned strategy game, which is a joint effort between Respawn and a new studio, Bit Reactor. Many other Star Wars games coming in 2022 and beyond are now from other companies, since the exclusivity deal is apparently coming to an end.
Electronic Arts Is Largely Moving On From Star Wars
According to Venture Beat, EA is greatly reducing its Star Wars efforts in an attempt to save on licensing costs. The Fallen Order sequel was approved based on the original's success, and the untitled projects now seem likely to be of a much smaller scale than a new Battlefront would have been. With other games developers and publishers getting a piece of the Star Wars license, EA seems content to use its funds for the IP conservatively. With EA now turning more attention to its own, original properties, this Star Wars consolidation under Respawn seemingly confirms a previous report that alleged Battlefront 3 was canceled over licensing costs.
Without another Battlefront in the pipeline, DICE's efforts will be solely focused on the Battlefield franchise. The recent launch of Battlefield 2042 is considered by many to be a resounding low point for the longstanding FPS series with many missing features and a noticeable lack of content, but EA seems to consider the situation salvageable. There is similarly a renewed investment in beloved series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Unfortunately for Star Wars: Battlefront fans, this comes at the expense of a third game, though Electronic Arts' upcoming Star Wars FPS from Respawn may end up a worthy substitute.
Next: Battlefield 2042 Is The Franchise's Worst Release Ever
Source: Venture Beat
