The news this week that Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts are officially teaming up with Lucasfilm Games to develop three new Star Wars games was an exciting announcement for many gamers. However, there was something conspicuously missing from the reveal, and that was any mention of DICE and the developer’s previous Star Wars Battlefront series. It looks like any fans waiting patiently for Star Wars Battlefront 3 will be destined to be disappointed, as players won’t be seeing that game any time soon, if at all. With the focus now shifting more firmly to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and other titles, Star Wars Battlefront fans are left out.
But all is not lost. With three new Star Wars games still on the horizon, players who love the world of lightsabers, blasters, and bizarre aliens will have something to look forward to. In addition to the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Respawn will be working on a Star Wars strategy game as a co-production with new studio Bit Reactor, and a first-person shooter. It’s the latter game that fans of Star Wars Battlefront might be most interested in, as it could work to fill the Star Wars Battlefront 3-shaped hole in their lives for the time being.
Everything Known About Respawn’s Star Wars FPS So Far
With the announcement of three new Star Wars games, there’s still plenty for fans to get excited about. While Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 was essentially a foregone conclusion, and its official confirmation was met with little surprise, it’s the two other games that were announced along with it that have stirred up some player intrigue. With DICE not mentioned in the announcement at all, it’s extremely unlikely that this new FPS has anything to do with Star Wars Battlefront and its sequel. Peter Hirschmann, the game director overseeing the new title, said that the game “is a story [he has] always wanted to tell,” pointing towards a more narrative-focused game.
Although Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 could potentially be in the hands of gamers fairly soon, the untitled Star Wars FPS is reportedly years away. As such, it’s unlikely that significant details will be revealed in the coming months, but players will no doubt speculate on what they will expect to see once it’s released. The developer is reportedly using the big announcement of the game as a hiring opportunity, suggesting that it still has a long way to go in terms of its development.
When speaking about the upcoming FPS title, Hirschmann said he’s “always been inspired by the classic Star Wars titles Dark Forces and Dark Forces 2” and that he’s “never forgotten the emotion and excitement [he] felt playing an FPS inside the Star Wars universe.” Apparently, these earlier Star Wars games will serve as a “guiding light for this new project,” showing that while the development team will no doubt be making changes and shaking things up, it will still be aiming to create a game in keeping with the established legacy of previous Star Wars titles.
Why Star Wars Battlefront Fans Should Check It Out
The reboot of the action shooter from 2015, and its subsequent sequel in 2017, were met with a mixed reaction from fans. The fast-paced online modes were considered more accessible to casual gamers than other FPS shooter like the Call of Duty series, and the story missions in Star Wars Battlefront 2 were well-written and engaging. However, the second game’s microtransaction controversy severely hampered the multiplayer experience.
That being said, the attention to detail in bringing the world of Star Wars to the video game sphere was incredible — from characters, settings, to sound design, everything felt like gamers were right in the action of an actual Star Wars film. But with the door potentially shut against the possibility of another sequel, fans are lamenting the loss of Star Wars Battlefront 3.
The new Star Wars FPS will be overseen by Respawn game director Peter Hirschmann, who as well as being the previous vice president of development at LucasArts, was also the executive producer for the original Star Wars: Battlefront series. With the new Star Wars FPS in these hands, fans of Star Wars: Battlefront and its later titles and modern reboot should be able to rest a little easier. Although not much is known about the upcoming FPS game, with LucasFilm and EA involved, it will likely have the same authentic look and feel as the recent Star Wars: Battlefront games, as well as potentially some familiar faces from the Star Wars franchise.
While it’s not known what the new Star Wars FPS game will entail — whether it will have a similar online focus as the Star Wars Battlefront titles, or if it will have more of a singleplayer story mode — there are still lots of reasons for fans to be excited. With some experienced hands at the helm, the Star Wars FPS will no doubt slot smoothly into the long list of previous Star Wars games, and should provide a suitably slick and well-made shooter experience for players.
Respawn’s Star Wars FPS is in development.
