Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Release Date Announced (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

The Star Wars Battlefront 2015 (aka Star Wars Battlefront III) release date has been announced for PS4, Xbox One & PC on November 17, 2015 in America, November 17th in the UK & November 19th in Europe. It will be developed by DICE (Battlefield series, Mirror’s Edge) and published by EA.

Check out the debut in-engine gameplay trailer for the Star Wars Battlefront 2015 reboot:

Some new details on the game have also emerged that will be sure to make Star Wars fans and online multiplayer fans happy.

In one of the coolest features revealed, Battlefront will represent the return of split-screen play. It sounds like only two-player splitscreen (four would probably be too taxing), but this is a feature that too many modern multiplayer games neglect, so it’s very cool to see it’s return. This means you can play the game with a buddy sitting next to you, which always makes a big difference.

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Air Battles

The local splitscreen mode can be played online, or can be used to tackle split-screen specific offline missions with a buddy. Those same missions, I presume, will also be playable single-player; because DICE also confirmed that the game will NOT contain a single-player campaign mode.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2015 will also take place solely during the original trilogy, although there will be pieces of DLC that will tie it into other films including Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

The main mode will be the 40-person online multiplayer mode.

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Forcefield

One of the coolest new features is how the game will allow players to step into the shoes of iconic “boss” characters as a reward for doing well in the shootouts (where players can play on-foot or in vehicles). To quote:

The game will reward sharpshooters with the ability to embody such iconic characters as bounty hunter Boba Fett and Sith baddie Darth Vader on the battlefield.

“You can storm in as the Dark Lord himself,” said “Battlefront” design director Niklas Fegraeus. “You can wield a lightsaber. You can Force choke the rebel scum, which is fun. Basically, you are the boss of the battle. This means that you, as Vader, can lead your team to victory — if you play well.”

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Vader

Locations and levels that will be included are: Endor, Hoth, Tatooine and Sullust. The latter is a lava-world that was referenced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983, the sixth film in the chronology and third film of the original trilogy) but was not directly seen. It was also referenced in many games & novels, but this marks the first time you get to play there.

Vehicles include TIE Fighters, X-wings and the Millennium Falcon, and also include AT-ATs, AT-STs and Speederbikes as shown in the trailer above.

“We wanted it to feel authentic to this universe,” said “Battlefront” executive producer Patrick Bach. “You can get into these vehicles, from speeder bikes to X-wings, TIE fighters, AT-STs, AT-ATs. There’s a wide range of vehicles that we wanted to realize. The difficulty with a game is that they need to be balanced with the troops on the ground.”

The final bit of information is the playable “Battle of Jakku” mission which will be available as DLC and tie into Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (which hits theaters on December 18th, 2015). This piece of Downloadable Content will be free, but those who pre-order Battlefront will gain early access to it.

Battle of Jakku will explore the moment following “Return of the Jedi” when the New Republic confronted Imperial holdouts on the previously unseen Outer Rim enclave.

“You never get to see it in the new movie, so it was this brilliant opportunity to recreate the Battle of Jakku, which you only see the remnants of in the movie,” said Bach. “In the game, you actually get to play the Battle of Jakku. It’s the same place from the new movie but 30 years earlier.”

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Foot Soldiers

If you are unfamiliar with the Battlefront series, it is like EA’s Battlefield games, but with Star Wars, where you have both soldiers battling on-foot, and in vehicles in the air. The original Battlefront was released by developer Pandemic Studios and publisher LucasArts in 2005 for PC, PS2, Mac, Original Xbox.

The second game, Star Wars Battlefront II, was released in 2005 for PS2, PSP, Original Xbox & PC.

A spin-off “Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron”, was released in 2007 for PSP, and that game got a sequel for PSP & DS called “Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron” in 2009. A “Star Wars Battlefront III” was long rumored to be in development but it’s existence remained shrouded in doubt when LucasArts went under after Disney bought the rights to Star Wars & closed the studio down.

However EA announced in 2013 that it had been granted the rights to the Star Wars property by Disney, and then officially announced “Star Wars: Battlefront III” at E3 2013.

However the new game will simply go by the (confusing) title of “Star Wars Battlefront”. Which makes things confusing because typing “Star Wars Battlefront” on wikipedia will just bring up the original game… Which is why we will refer to it either as “Star Wars Battlefront III” or as “Star Wars Battlefront 2015”.

Check out this video for some in-depth discussion on what the actual gameplay is like in the Star Wars: Battlefront 2015.

Synopsis:
Combining an unprecedented collaboration with Lucasfilm and the award-winning Frostbite game engine, Star Wars Battlefront will deliver an incredibly authentic and immersive interactive entertainment experience featuring photorealistic visuals and epic action in iconic Star Wars locations.

“Like so many others around the world, everyone at DICE is a tremendous fan of the Star Wars universe,” said Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir, Senior Producer of Star Wars Battlefront. “To be working on a Star Wars project and knowing we are helping to represent the universe we love to our generation and a legion of new Star Wars fans is truly an honor. Thanks to the access and knowledge shared with us by Lucasfilm, and the passion and talent of our team, we plan to deliver an amazing game that puts you right in the middle of the Star Wars battles you always imagined playing.”

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Speederbike

Star Wars Battlefront will allow fans to live out a wide range of heroic moments and intense battle fantasies of their own – firing blasters, riding speeder bikes and snow speeders, commanding AT-ATs and piloting TIE fighters and the Millennium Falcon. These battles will take place on some of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe, including Endor, Hoth, Tatooine and the previously unexplored planet, Sullust. Gamers will be able to play as some of the most memorable characters in the original trilogy such as Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Star Wars Battlefront will feature a wide range of modes tailored for different types of battles, from larger 40-person competitive multiplayer to crafted missions that are played solo, with a friend via split-screen offline or co-operatively online.

Fans who pre-order Star Wars Battlefront will be among the first players to experience the Battle of Jakku, the pivotal moment when the New Republic confronted key Imperial holdouts on a remote desert planet on the Outer Rim. Taking place in the aftermath of the Rebel victory in the Battle of Endor, players will experience the events that created the massive, battle-scarred landscape of Jakku shown in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Players who pre-order Star Wars Battlefront can fight the battle one-week early starting on December 1, 2015. All other players will get access to this free content on December 8, 2015.

Star Wars Battlefront 2015 Screenshot Walkers and Snow

Are you excited to play Star Wars: Battlefront in 2015?