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When EA picked up the Star Wars license almost a decade ago, the first thing the company did was revive the Battlefront series, handing the keys over to DICE to create new multiplayer shooters in the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be a Battlefront 3 any time soon, at least not under EA, as the publisher scrapped plans for the game.
According to Tom Henderson, a leaker with a good track record when it comes to DICE projects, the studio tried to pitch Battlefront 3 to EA, but the publisher scrapped the idea. In part, Battlefront 3 was not picked up due to licensing costs, as it takes “20% more sales to make the same money”. Additionally, key developers on the Battlefront franchise, including lead designers, have left DICE to pursue other projects.
EA initially signed a ten-year licensing agreement with Disney for exclusive rights to the Star Wars IP, but specific terms on the deal were never disclosed. The deal also seems to have been cut short a little, as Disney began giving the Star Wars license to other publishers recently as well. At the moment, we know that companies like Ubisoft and Quantic Dream are working on Star Wars projects, and Aspyr Media is currently reviving Knights of the Old Republic without any input from EA or BioWare.
Battlefront being cancelled isn't too surprising either, as EA botched the launch of Battlefront II. The game eventually gained a more positive reception after a year of free updates, but sales remained unimpressive. EA does have two other Star Wars projects in the works at other studios, one of which is likely Jedi Fallen Order 2. The second in-development title is also said to be a single-player narrative-focused game.
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KitGuru Says: Perhaps at some point in the future, another studio will get to have a go at rebooting Battlefront with its single-player mode intact. Until then though, it looks like this series of Star Wars shooters will be left dormant.
