Battlefield 2042 didn’t meet EA’s expectations. No shit. Back-to-back, DICE has released half-baked shooters that don’t live up to expectations and then scurried to salvage them after the fact. We saw it happen as far back as Battlefield 4, then again with Battlefield 5. This is becoming a worrying trend, one that needs to be put to bed, and Star Wars could do just that.

The passion from the developers and community behind Battlefront 2 was palpable. Getting caught up in all the in-jokes and online drama as we watched one of the better shooters of the 2010s come together in real-time was a huge part of the experience. The leaks coming to fruition, the collective digital cheer as the Geonosis trailer rolled out, and then seeing Count Dooku revealed in his cute little PJs all made that rocky launch worth sticking through. But when the game finally hit its stride and found momentum, DICE lopped its head off while EA sat in its cushy chair, muttering “dew it.”

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It died as it got going and it’s a shame, but fans clung onto the hope that it died so we could get Battlefront 3. We aren’t. EA isn’t interested. Instead, we’re getting another RPG with the buttered bread that is Cal Kestis and two other games while DICE is stuck with the sinking ship that is Battlefield. The studio doesn’t have the prestige it once had, constantly shooting itself in the foot as it releases dud after dud. 2042 could make a comeback - it’s not outside the realm of possibility - but I can’t be arsed. How many games do we have to stick with after launch waiting for them to get good? Too many. It’s time to make like General Grievous and abandon ship.

star wars battlefront 2

Battlefront 3 is exactly what DICE needs. The second game left a perfect foundation for the studio to build from, and we’ve already seen plenty of games start from where their predecessors left off. Left 4 Dead 2 has everything from the first game and then a whole other game packed on top, remastering and updating the original to fit the newer, better model. Overwatch 2 is set to do the same, but we’ve yet to see if it pulls it off to the same degree as Valve. Battlefront 3 could and should do the same - one of the biggest complaints aired at 2’s launch was the lack of content. It was barebones with some of the series’ most iconic characters left out of the roster.

Obi-Wan wasn’t available at launch. Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s a bloody fan-favourite who debuted in the first film. But Battlefront 3 omitting all the characters added in 2 just to add them again in updates would be a tired repeat of that same story we already lived through. Starting with a 'remaster' of Battlefront 2 for current-gen along with new content and updated gameplay would be perfect and offer an opportunity for future updates that add the things so many wanted for the second game. We could see Ahsoka - tying into the new Disney+ show for some free cross-promotion - Mando, skins for Boba Fett, old Obi-Wan, battle-damaged Vader - all the hits. And preferably without the rocky launch.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 General Grievous

But more importantly, Battlefront 3 could win back fans. 2042 isn’t doing DICE any favours and it’ll be a while - if it ever happens - before it does. Going free-to-play won’t make it any more enticing and trying to fix problems rooted in the foundation of its gameplay is an uphill battle that doesn’t seem winnable. Call me pessimistic but 2042 looks to be a wreck beyond repair. And a new Battlefield after back-to-back failures is ill-advised. Drumming up hype and rebuilding faith with the same series will be difficult if it's even possible. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, I’m cancelling my pre-order.

But Battlefront 2 ended as a beloved game, one of the more popular Star Wars titles. The Celebration Edition sold over 38,000 copies on the PS4 alone, putting it just behind Call of Duty. People were eating it up, but that’s when EA cancelled it - it makes no sense. And it cancelled it to focus efforts on salvaging Battlefield, which it promptly failed to do. Everything has been a calculated misstep, a constant stream of fuck-ups that lead to more fuck-ups. But Battlefront 3 could easily win back audiences and give DICE some much-needed breathing room to take its time with Battlefield, to give it a bigger window of development to make something worthwhile. Seeing one of the hallmark multiplayer shooters die like this is heartbreaking, and it doesn’t need to happen.

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