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When Electronic Arts announced its ten-year long development deal for the Star Wars license, one of the brightest spots was the widespread belief that the publisher’s top shooter studio — DICE, the makers of Battlefield — would be tasked with rejuvenating the Star Wars: Battlefront series. That was later revealed to be just the case, and now the very first looks at the game in development courtesy of EA’s E3 media briefing.
It’s hard to believe that there was still serious life left in the Battlefront name, after two successful takes on the third-person Star Wars shooter led to a long-plagued Battlefront 3 development which ultimately led to the plans being scrapped altogether. DICE’s pedigree seemed to be strong enough to right the ship despite those setbacks, but the studio’s plans and work has been kept tightly under wraps until now.
As proof that a release is still a long way away, the trailer released by EA is short on gameplay footage, instead focusing on the dedication of the developers to make the most of their opportunity to carve a piece of Star Wars lore in their own image. But the brief images and clips of the Frostbite-fueled shooter and its next-gen assets are likely all that’s needed to get existing fans interested. Whether it’s the snowy surface of Hoth or the forests of Endor’s moon, the developers took the time to retrace the filmmakers’ footprint as closely as possible.
Nobody has ever accused DICE of taking the task of developing AAA shooters lightly, even if the Battlefield 4 reception soured many consumers on the studio’s ability to meet expectations. So while a DICE-developed Battlefront was never doubted in terms of quality, the team’s decision to invest so much time in elements of the game beyond the technical or mechanical could hold promise for the finished product.
Both DICE and EA emphasized that development is still in the early days, so extended footage of the game in action — or whether it will maintain the third-person perspective of previous games exclusively, or allow a first-person variation — may still be in flux. For now, the brief conceptual footage shows a game that keeps much of the previous Battlefront games intact, albeit with some significantly improved graphics.
Does this look at the game and words from the developers raise your hopes for Battlefront, or have past disappointments left you somewhat lukewarm on the game? Could a next-gen take on the series’ gameplay excel among new fans? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Star Wars: Battlefront is currently in development.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
Source: GameSpot — YouTube