'Star Wars: Battlefront 2' will have a proper story mode
The ambitious sequel is being co-developed by DICE, Criterion and Motive.
When Star Wars Battlefront launched, it was hard not to be disappointed. The promise of a shiny next-gen Star Wars game made by Battlefront developer DICE was a tantalizing proposition, but unfortunately the reality was a multiplayer-only game that felt frustratingly half-baked. It seems as though EA has learned its lesson, announcing during yesterday's earnings call (PDF transcript) that Battlefront 2 will launch this holiday with a full single-player campaign.
Interestingly, DICE is no longer solely in charge of the series, with Battlefront 2's grander scale seeing Burnout creator Criterion and EA's recently founded Motive Studios assisting on the game's development. While Criterion assisted with some of the vehicles and December's Battlefront PSVR mission, EA's early announcement of three-way development suggests even greater involvement from the studio.
As opposed to the original-trilogy focused original, Battlefront 2 will take place across multiple eras of Star Wars, with EA promising a wealth of new playable heroes and characters. The report also acknowledges that simplicity was one of the biggest complaints about the original. EA states that, for the sequel, players can expect far more depth and progression when it comes to the game's multiplayer modes.
With the original Battlefront lacking a campaign and launching with a sparse collection of maps, EA is certainly hitting all the right notes with its PR. While the 2015 game undoubtedly looked and sounded like Star Wars, its lack of content rang disappointingly hollow. Let's hope that EA finally delivers the fun -- and fully featured -- Star Wars title that fans have been clamoring for.
EA (PDF):
Looking further ahead, we would like to provide you with a view of our top titles and plans for FY18. We're thrilled to bring a new Star Wars Battlefront game to fans worldwide in the 2017 holiday season. In the past two years, Rogue One and The Force Awakens have opened new storylines, and captured the imagination of hundreds of millions of Star Wars fans. We've listened closely to our passionate Star Wars Battlefront community, and have expanded our existing game with more great content and experiences since its launch. As that game continues to thrive, we have also heard our players' desire for even more depth and progression.
Our next Star Wars Battlefront will be even bigger, taking players into more locations, and allowing them to play with more heroes and characters across multiple Star Wars eras. There will be new ways to play, including an all-new single player campaign, and much, much more that we're excited to share with our players in the months ahead. To build a game of this magnitude, we've brought together three great studios -- DICE, Motive, and Criterion -- and aligned their areas of expertise to deliver an amazing experience in the next Star Wars Battlefront.
