STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2

DICE takes a “bigger is better” approach to sequel making

Developer DICE publisher Electronic Arts Due November 14

starwars.ea.com/starwars/battlefront

Star Wars Battlefront 2 improves on a lot of ideas 2015’s Battlefront failed to deliver while introducing a much needed single player campaign. It’s the first multiplayer game to include all three film eras, and according to producer Craig McLeod, modernises the series in the same way as the Rogue One film.

“We’re taking the essence and the fantasy of this prequel era and these prequel battles,” said producer Craig McLeod, “and bringing it into something that’s really modern, feels very cohesive as you play through these differing eras.

“From a multiplayer perspective, people want[ed] all the eras… more heroes, more Star Wars characters, more progression and more team play,” he continued. “All these things that create that breadth and depth that a DICE sandbox is so well known for.”

Battlefront 2’s multiplayer has also been improved with a traditional class-based infantry system - classic assault, heavy, and sniper classes, as well as a support who can buff their allies and deploy a mini-turret.

“The foundational idea with introducing a class system is to focus on team play,” said design director Niklas Fegraues, “which is another thing we heard from players who played the first game. They wanted more ways to team up, play together and strategise. If you have a big multiplayer sandbox with soldiers and vehicles and so on, of course it’s similar to Battlefield, but the important thing for us is to make sure this feels like a Star Wars battle.”

DICE has replaced the blue collectable token needed to play as a hero with a system that rewards players contributing to their team using your battle points, in hopes of creating a fairer team-based environment.

“What’s really important is that we’re trying to tell a story of the location [and] a fantasy,” said McLeod. “When we think about what worked really well in the first game, [maps like] Walker, Song and Hawk worked because [we] finally got to be a part of the battles we’d hoped for… This is what’s going to make this galactic assault signature game mode so unique. It will play differently to each location you go [to] but will be familiar to you as a Star Wars fan.”

In many ways, Star Wars Battlefront was a test run for what Battlefront 2 aims to achieve. So far it’s delivering with a fleshed out single player story from the Empire’s perspective - spanning from the Return of the Jedi to the end of The Force Awakens, - a return to couch co-op in Skirmish mode, space battles co-developed by Criterion, and free post-game content.

“When we say, ‘we want this to be the essential Star Wars shooter,’ we can back that up with a story, with space, with deep multiplayer, with couch co-op and really all those elements that people love,” said McLeod. “No matter how you want to engage with our entertainment and our game, you can do that.”

In many ways, Star Wars Battlefront was a test run for Battlefront 2