Star Wars Battlefront is a 2015 action shooter video game created by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game is set in the fictional world of the Star Wars franchise and is the third main game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. However, it is considered a new version of the series rather than a direct follow-up to the earlier games. This change reflects the new official Star Wars stories established by Lucasfilm after Disney acquired the company, which replaced the previous expanded universe. The game was released in November 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

Critics gave the game mixed to positive reviews, praising its gameplay, visuals, music, technical features, and high-quality production. However, some criticized the limited content available at launch for both single-player and multiplayer modes, as well as the use of a season pass system. Despite these issues, the game was a commercial success, selling over 14 million copies worldwide. A follow-up game, Star Wars Battlefront II, was released on November 17, 2017.

Gameplay

Star Wars Battlefront is an action game that can be played from a first-person or third-person view. Players can switch between these views at any time, except when controlling "hero" characters or their guards. The game takes place on planets from the original Star Wars trilogy, such as Endor, Hoth, Tatooine, Bespin, and Sullust, as well as Jakku from the sequel trilogy. To move across the game's maps, players use vehicles like speeder bikes and AT-STs. These vehicles can be unlocked by finding tokens that appear randomly on the map. Battles happen on planets, so players cannot explore space. Space-based maps were added through downloadable content (DLC), including the "Death Star" pack (released in September 2016) and the "Rogue One" pack (released in December 2016). These DLCs added the Death Star and Scarif to the game. Players can customize weapons, characters, gear, and abilities. New weapons can be shared with teammates. The game does not include iron sights except for one blaster, but players can zoom in for better accuracy.

Players can choose to control a Rebel Alliance soldier or an Imperial Stormtrooper. They can also play as iconic characters from Star Wars, called "heroes," which are unlocked by finding specific tokens on the map. At launch, the hero list included Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Emperor Palpatine, Leia Organa, and Boba Fett. Additional heroes like Nien Nunb, Greedo, and Jyn Erso were added later through DLC. Non-playable characters such as C-3PO, Admiral Ackbar, and Jabba the Hutt appear in the game. The game includes cooperative missions that can be played offline but does not have a campaign mode. Players can complete missions alone, with bots, or with another player. The game supports split-screen play on consoles. Online multiplayer matches can have up to 40 players and include 16 maps. These maps feature locations like Hoth, Tatooine, Endor, Sullust, and Jakku, with additional locations added through DLC, such as Cloud City on Bespin, the Death Star, and Scarif.

Multiplayer is the main focus of Battlefront. The game includes several modes:

• A mode with 40 players on each team (Rebels and Imperials). Rebels must destroy the Empire's AT-AT walkers, while the Empire must stop them. Rebels must keep uplink stations online to allow Y-Wing bombers to attack the walkers.

• A starship-only mode where players compete in a team deathmatch in the sky. Each team starts in a transport ship, and the other team must destroy it. The first team to reach 200 points wins.

• A team deathmatch with 20 players. The team that reaches 100 kills first wins.

• A 40-player mode where teams compete to capture the most control points. The team with the most control points wins.

• A "Cat-and-Mouse" mode where one hero faces seven players. The hero must survive as long as possible and kill pursuers. If the hero is killed, the player who dealt the most damage becomes the next hero. The player with the most kills or the first to reach 50 kills wins.

• A round-based mode where teams of six must protect their heroes or villains while trying to destroy the enemy's. Heroes and villains are supported by infantry. Heroes with bodyguards can only spawn twice. The first team to win five rounds wins the match.

• A mode where two teams of six try to steal each other's cargo while defending their own. This is similar to capture the flag.

Development and release

In May 2013, Electronic Arts got the only rights to make Star Wars games for gaming consoles. Its companies, DICE, Visceral Games, and BioWare, began working on Star Wars games after LucasArts closed. DICE first shared news about the game at Electronic Arts' E3 2013 event, along with a short video. The game uses the Frostbite 3 engine. Patrick Söderlund, the studio head, said the game would be "DICE's version of what Battlefront should be," while still including ideas from earlier games. DICE did not call the new game a sequel to Battlefront II but instead a new start for the series. Söderlund said the game almost was not made, but DICE employees worked hard to get the project. He called the development of Battlefront "a perfect fit." Instead of using traditional methods, the developers used special techniques to create game elements. Small artist teams chose the right items for level designers to build maps. DICE said creating these items took half the time compared to Battlefield 4, which used traditional methods.

In June 2014, Electronic Arts revealed at its E3 2014 event that the ice planet Hoth and the forest moon of Endor would be playable maps. In late October 2014, it was announced the game would release in December 2015, matching the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. To meet the deadline, the team removed the single-player campaign. In early March 2015, the first gameplay footage was shown at a private event and received a standing ovation. In April 2015, at Star Wars Celebration 2015, details about gameplay and a second trailer were released. The first downloadable content, called Battle of Jakku, was also announced.

In April 2015, Electronic Arts announced the game would release in North America on November 17, Europe on November 20, and Australia on November 18. Earlier, it was said the European release would be November 19. The game would not use the Battlelog system but instead a new system made by Uprise, a company under Electronic Arts in Sweden. On June 15, more gameplay was shown at E3 2015, showing the Walker Assault mode on Hoth from the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire perspectives, including characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Another trailer showing cooperative missions was also shown. An open beta for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One started on October 8. The beta included Walker Assault, Drop Zone, and Survival modes. Originally set to close on October 12, it was extended to October 13 for testing. Over nine and a half million players tested the beta, which Electronic Arts called their largest beta.

Criterion Games, known for making racing games, helped DICE create the speeder bikes. Visceral Games also helped in an undisclosed way.

Star Wars Battlefront includes downloadable content (DLC). A season pass was announced on October 12, 2015, with four DLC packs. The Ultimate Edition includes the game and the season pass. Additional content, like new maps and star cards, was released for free.

The first DLC, Battle of Jakku, was shown at Star Wars Celebration 2015 and was free for players starting December 8, 2015. Players who pre-ordered the game received it earlier, on December 1. It includes two maps on Jakku. The second DLC, Outer Rim, released on March 22, 2016, adds maps on Tatooine and Sullust, along with characters Nien Nunb and Greedo. It is part of the season pass. The third DLC, Bespin, released on June 21, 2016, introduces Cloud City and characters Lando Calrissian and Dengar. The fourth DLC, Death Star, released on September 20, 2016, includes the Death Star, Chewbacca, and Bossk. The final DLC, Rogue One: Scarif, released on December 20, 2016, is based on the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and adds the planet Scarif and characters like Jyn Erso and Director Orson Krennic.

Criterion Games made a PlayStation VR mission called Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission, released for free with the PlayStation 4 version in December 2016. It requires a PlayStation VR headset and camera.

Base Command is a mobile app available on the App Store and Google Play. It can be played with or without owning Star Wars Battlefront. Players defend a Rebel base from the Galactic Empire using Star Cards with vehicles, weapons, and power-ups. Virtual credits earned in the app can be used to unlock items in the main game.

A book titled Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company, written by Alexander Freed, a former developer from BioWare, was released. It is his first novel. IGN gave the book a positive review.

Reception

Leon Hurley of GamesRadar had a positive view of Star Wars Battlefront beta. He said the game’s gunplay was strong and seemed great. However, he criticized the Walker Assault mode for being very hard for Rebels to win. He compared the game’s visuals to the realistic action in Star Wars films. He also praised the Stormtroopers for being exactly like those in the movies and called the wave-one soldiers “exceptionally special.” He noted that the game had an unusual balance of heroes and villains, with Darth Vader being easily defeated by passing ships, while Luke Skywalker had more chances to look heroic, like destroying an AT-ST alone. He also mentioned that the timing of ending scenes was strange and frustrating, as screens overlapped the end of matches.

The game did not have a single-player campaign, which some critics pointed out. Steven Storm of Ars Technica praised the visuals, saying DICE captured the look and feel of Star Wars better than any other game with the license. He compared gameplay to the standard Battlefield formula of walking, getting shot, respawning, and repeating.

Star Wars Battlefront received mixed reviews for PC and PlayStation 4, but positive reviews for Xbox One, according to Metacritic. Mizuho Securities analyst Neil Doshi noted the negative reviews but predicted the game would be a financial success. Mike Mahardy of GameSpot criticized the game’s combat as repetitive. Dan Ryckert of Giant Bomb praised the game for capturing the Star Wars feel. Critics also mentioned that the gameplay lacked depth and was designed for casual players, not hardcore fans. Blake Jorgensen, Electronic Arts’ chief financial officer, admitted the game was made to be easy for newcomers or children playing with parents.

Most critics agreed the game’s visuals were well-received. Mitch Dyer of IGN called it one of the best-looking games of its generation.

Critics noticed the game had little content when it was first released. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer criticized the Season Pass approach, feeling it offered too little content at launch.

The Official UK PlayStation Magazine listed the X-Wing mission as the fifth best PS VR game.

Electronic Arts expected the game to sell nine to ten million copies by March 31, 2016. After the beta release, the company aimed for 13 million copies by March 2016. Star Wars Battlefront debuted at number one in the UK for retail non-digital sales and became the fourth fastest-selling title in 2015. It was the biggest launch in the Star Wars franchise and sold 117% more than the previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. It also became the fastest-selling online PlayStation 4 game in the UK, surpassing Destiny.

In early December 2015, GameStop president Tony Bartel said some November games, including Star Wars Battlefront, sold fewer copies than expected. Peter Moore defended the game’s sales, saying Electronic Arts still aimed for 13 million copies by March 2016. Analyst Michael Pachter reported 12 million copies sold by December 31, 2015. Electronic Arts met its goal of shipping 13 million copies by early 2016 and had shipped 14 million by May 2016. The game was the seventeenth best-selling game in the UK in 2016. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 123,908 copies in its first week, becoming number one on the all-format sales chart.

Sequel

A follow-up game created by EA DICE, Motive Studios, and Criterion Games was released on November 17, 2017.