During Electronic Arts’ E3 conference cheers erupted from gamers in the crowd as a new game in the Star Wars Battlefront series was teased. EA announced the game would be in development by the Battlefield series creators DICE, who would be picking up the rights from the recently closed Lucas Arts studio. This was the news all Star Wars video game fans wanted to hear.

Battlefront’s Lifeline

It had been years since Star Wars Battlefront 2, in 2005, had been released and fans waited patiently for another sequel, hoping there would be a true next generation instalment for Xbox 360 and PS3. Sadly it never came, despite the odd rumour in the gaming press inciting rapturous reactions from fans. Things got worse for patient gamers when Lucas Arts closed and the perhaps non-existent Battlefront 3 was left in limbo.

But EA, cooling off some of the hatred gamers have for them and their business practices, saved the day by playing a simple trailer at E3. The trailer featured a first person battle on the icy planet of Hoth where one of the most iconic moments from the movies took place. EA then revealed DICE would be rebooting the Battlefront series. With DICE in control of production, the game is in a safe pair of hands. No official release date has been announced by EA as of yet, but if rumours are to be believed then the game will come out in 2015, round about the same time as Star Wars Episode VII is due.

Gamers have the right to be excited by the announcement as the Battlefront games were great tributes to the films and Star Wars universe, allowing fans to take part in some of the most memorable and iconic battles in the galaxy. They were made for multiplayer, simple to play and provided hours of addictive fun. Many game critics would argue it sits alongside the Knights of the Old Republic RPG series developed by Bioware as one of the greatest Star Wars video games.

What To Look Forward To

What really made fans so keen to see Battlefront in the next generation of consoles was their potential to amaze with new hardware. The games deal with large scale battles with dozens of troops and vehicles all fighting to capture vital command posts and with higher graphical processing power and memory in new consoles and computers, battles could look stunning with literally hundreds of active units fighting at once in crisp high definition. The rise of online gaming on consoles also makes for a highly tempting prospect as huge battles could be taken online, perhaps even with MMO like features.

The wishes and desires of the fans, who are extremely passionate, will likely come true with DICE in charge of the games. DICE have made a good name for themselves with the Battlefield series which excels in high quality visuals and ultra-realistic warfare simulation and they’ll probably bring those same values to Star Wars Battlefront. The reboot will also be debuting on brand new consoles the Xbox One and PS4, as well as PC, so the technology available will be advanced enough to meet the expectations of fans and perhaps even exceed them. The emphasis on cloud technology and online gaming that the console companies push mean an online experience that may even evolve over time and really enhance the game’s popular Galactic Conquest mode.

Fans want Battlefront back though mostly because they were actually really good games. They brought a great twist to the Star Wars universe that’s often not really explored so much in the films - actual galactic warfare. Stepping into the shoes of droids, clone troopers, rebel soldiers and the famous stormtroopers and entering into a large scale battle with tactical objectives was highly satisfying and original. The gameplay was also extremely addictive down to its simplicity and the flexibility of different roles and classes you could play in battle. Who wouldn’t want more of such a good thing, especially after nearly a decade without a new entry?

Battlefront is the game Star Wars fans are looking for and anticipation for it couldn’t be higher. The biggest fear of fans will be that the game will be delayed or cancelled but in DICE’s hand they should feel confident the end product will be everything they hoped for. 2015 can’t come soon enough!