Star Wars: Battlefront 3 Announcement Unlikely Despite Player Surge, Former DICE Developer Says
A surge in player numbers for Star Wars: Battlefront 2 has sparked hopes that a new game in the series could be on the horizon, but according to a former DICE developer, fans shouldn’t expect a Battlefront 3 announcement anytime soon. Mats Holm, who worked on Star Wars: Battlefront 2’s live operations at DICE, has been responding to player questions on Reddit, offering insight into the game’s development and the likelihood of a new title.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2, originally released in 2017, has seen a rapid increase in player numbers since the start of this month, fuelled by the franchise’s annual May 4 celebrations and the critically-acclaimed return of Star Wars TV series Andor. However, despite the game’s renewed popularity, Holm believes that a new game is unlikely to be announced in the near future. "I don’t expect Battlefront 3 to be announced at the end of this rally," Holm wrote, referring to the recent uptick in player numbers. "But overall, yeah, I think there are people who are talking about it."
According to Holm, the biggest issue holding up a new game is that the majority of the Battlefront 2 team are no longer at DICE. "We spread all over," Holm revealed. "A few went to Ubisoft, some went independent, some to King, Avalanche, Star Stables, Paradox, Starbreeze, Mojang to name a few. Some left Stockholm to join game companies abroad as well." This dispersal of talent has made it difficult for DICE to assemble a team with the necessary expertise to develop a new Battlefront game.
Holm also expressed scepticism about whether DICE could still make a new Battlefront game without its previous team members. "The live team ended up approaching the game very differently than the original devs," Holm wrote, referring to how the team who continued making Battlefront 2 content post-launch turned around the game’s fortunes following a shaky start. "If they went about it the same way as before, they will not get how we brought the game back from the abyss." This suggests that the knowledge and expertise gained during the development of Battlefront 2 may not be readily transferable to a new team.
As of now, only "about three people" are left from Battlefront 2’s live team at DICE, the developer continued. There’s also the issue that, for now, DICE is busy throwing all of its development weight into getting its big new Battlefield game finished. This prioritisation of other projects may further delay the development of a new Battlefront game.
Despite these challenges, Holm suggested that a remastered version of Battlefront 2 could be a more feasible option in the short term. "Hear me out — no Battlefront 3 right now, but Battlefront 2 Remaster for whatever future console is arriving in 2027-28," the developer suggested. "Dev time is around 2-3 years. There is a laundry list of improvements that this game could get in my opinion, and getting it updated was always on our wishlist." Holm’s proposed plan would involve updating the game with features such as cross-play, day/night cycles, and dynamic weather for all planets, as well as a 1-vs-1 mode.
The idea of a Battlefront 2 remaster is an intriguing one, and it could provide a way for fans to experience the game in a new and improved way. As Holm noted, "Once that is a success, then start work on 3. You have a team familiar with engine, assets and really could kick off developing a 3 within a much shorter time span, and working on feedback from a fresh Battlefront 2 audience base. This would be a 5-6 year plan, but it’s far more likely to be a success." Only time will tell if this plan comes to fruition, but for now, fans will have to be content with playing the original game.
This article is based on reporting by IGN, which can be found here: https://www.ign.com/articles/dont-expect-star-wars-battlefront-3-any-time-soon-former-dice-developer-says-despite-player-surge. Tom Phillips, IGN’s News Editor, contributed to this article.
