While the campaign for Halo Infinite is not out yet, the three big multiplayer shooters of this year are all out to some degree: the aforementioned Halo, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Battlefield 2042. Each has had its own reception, and suffice to say, Battlefield 2042’s reviews haven’t been kind to it. But, while developers work to get it to a better state, DICE and EA continue to look to the future (a common element in game development).
Now, Tom Henderson has revealed some new details about upcoming projects at DICE. Henderson, as many may know, has quite a proven track record when it comes to rumors, leaks, and reports related to DICE and the Battlefield franchise. His latest reveal comes in the form of news about Star Wars Battlefront 3, a game that has been rumored to be in development several times in the past.
According to Tom Henderson, Star Wars Battlefront 3 is not in development. It was pitched by DICE, but EA turned it down since licensed products take more sales to make the same amount of money as other titles. So, Battlefront 3 was passed on, and instead DICE is already working on another Battlefield title.
Henderson claims to have seen the current build file for this Battlefield game, which has passed the conceptual stage, but that’s about it. In revealing that there’s a new Battlefield game likely a couple of months into the earliest stages of development, Henderson also properly highlights that this new Battlefield pitch did not take away from the development of Battlefield 2042. Video games are often about seeing where a concept will land in 4-5 years, and so it’s reasonable to keep the ball rolling.
Furthermore, Battlefront 2’s creative director Dennis Branvall, core gameplay designer Christian Johannesen, and lead hero designer Guillaume Mroz have all left DICE, leading Henderson to believe that Battlefront 3 is very unlikely to enter development. That’s not to say EA overall isn’t working on any Star Wars games, though, just not Battlefront 3.
Henderson indicates that there are two story-driven/single-player Star Wars games in development at EA—one of them is likely Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2, which EA has basically confirmed if not in full. The other is anyone’s guess at the moment, though there are always rumors. Of course, as game development is always shifting, it’s not impossible DICE eventually returns to the Battlefront franchise, and Henderson says he’ll be there to break the news when and if it does.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 is not in development.