Star Wars Battlefront is a 2015 action shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game is based on the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise and is the third main installment of the Star Wars: Battlefront series. However, it is considered a reboot of the previous games, not a sequel, to reflect the new Star Wars canon that Lucasfilm established to replace the Star Wars expanded universe after Disney acquired Lucasfilm. The game was released in November 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

Battlefront received mixed to positive reviews from critics. They praised its gameplay, visuals, music, technical aspects, and high production values. However, they criticized the lack of content at launch in both single-player and multiplayer modes, as well as the use of a season pass model. Despite this, the game was a commercial success, selling more than 14 million copies worldwide. A sequel, 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 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. Players move around these maps using vehicles like speeder bikes and AT-STs, which can be unlocked by finding tokens that appear randomly on the map. Battles happen on planets, not in space. Space-based maps, such as the Death Star and Scarif, were added later through downloadable content (DLC). 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 famous characters from the Star Wars films, 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 were added later through DLC. Non-playable characters like C-3PO, Admiral Ackbar, and Jabba the Hutt also appear in the game. The game includes cooperative missions that can be played offline but does not have a campaign mode. Missions can be completed alone, with bots, or with another player. Split-screen play is supported 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 the game. There are several modes:

• A mode with 40 players on each team (Rebels and Imperials). The Rebels must destroy the Empire’s AT-AT walkers while keeping their uplink stations online to allow Y-Wing bombers to attack. The Empire must stop the Rebels from doing this.

• A starship-only mode where players fight in the sky. Each team starts in a transport ship, and the first team to reach 200 points wins.

• A team deathmatch with 20 players. The first team to reach 100 kills wins.

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

• A "Cat-and-Mouse" mode where one hero faces seven opponents. The hero must survive as long as possible. The player who deals the most damage becomes the next hero. The player with the most kills or who reaches 50 kills first wins.

• A round-based mode where teams of six try to keep their heroes or villains alive while defeating the enemy team’s heroes or villains. Heroes and villains are supported by infantry. Teams with bodyguards can only respawn 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 a capture-the-flag game.

Development and release

In May 2013, Electronic Arts, a game publisher, was given the only permission to create Star Wars games for consoles. Its companies, DICE, Visceral Games, and BioWare, began making Star Wars games after LucasArts closed. DICE first shared news about the game during Electronic Arts' E3 2013 event, along with a short video preview. The game uses the Frostbite 3 engine. DICE's leader, Patrick Söderlund, said the game would be "DICE's version of what Battlefront should be," while including ideas from earlier games. DICE did not call it a sequel to Battlefront II but instead a new start for the franchise. Söderlund mentioned the game was almost not made, but DICE employees pushed for the project, calling it "a match made in heaven." Instead of using traditional methods, developers used photogrammetry to create game assets. Small art teams chose the right assets for level designers to build maps. DICE said making these assets took half the time compared to Battlefield 4, which used traditional methods.

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

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, the European release date was planned for November 19. The game would not use the Battlelog system but instead a new system developed by Uprise, a company owned by Electronic Arts. On June 15, more gameplay was shown at E3 2015, including the Walker Assault mode on Hoth from both the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire perspectives. A beta version of the game was released in October 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The beta included Walker Assault, Drop Zone, and Survival modes and was played by over nine and a half million people, the largest beta in Electronic Arts' history.

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

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

The first DLC, Battle of Jakku, was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2015 and was free for players starting December 8, 2015. Pre-orderers received it a week earlier, on December 1, 2015. It includes two maps on the planet Jakku. Outer Rim, the second DLC, was released on March 22, 2016, and added maps of Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine and a factory on Sullust. It also included characters Nien Nunb and Greedo. Outer Rim was the first of four DLC packs in the season pass. Bespin, the second expansion, was released on June 21, 2016, introducing Cloud City and allowing players to use Lando Calrissian and Dengar. Death Star, the third DLC, was released on September 20, 2016, featuring the Death Star, Chewbacca, and Bossk. The final DLC, Rogue One: Scarif, was released on December 20, 2016, based on the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It added the planet Scarif and characters Director Orson Krennic and Jyn Erso.

Criterion Games created a PlayStation VR mission called Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission, which was free for PlayStation 4 players in December 2016. It requires a PlayStation VR headset and camera.

Base Command, a companion app, is 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 novel titled Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company, written by Alexander Freed, a former developer from BioWare, was released. It is Freed's first book. IGN gave the book a positive review.

Reception

Leon Hurley of GamesRadar had a positive view of the Star Wars Battlefront beta. He said the game's gunplay was strong and looked great. However, he strongly criticized the Walker Assault mode, noting it was 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 pointed out that the game had an unusual balance of heroes and villains, with Darth Vader often being defeated easily by passing ships, while Luke Skywalker had more chances to look heroic, such as destroying an AT-ST alone. He also noted that the timing of ending scenes was confusing and frustrating, as screens overlapped at the end of matches.

The game did not include a campaign for single-player mode, which some critics disliked. Steven Storm of Ars Technica praised the visuals, saying, "DICE has at least captured the look and feel of Star Wars, perhaps better than any other game with the license before it." He compared gameplay to the "standard Battlefield formula of walk, get shot, respawn, and repeat."

Star Wars Battlefront received "mixed reviews" for the PC and PlayStation 4 and positive reviews for the 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, while Dan Ryckert of Giant Bomb praised it for capturing the Star Wars feel. Blake Jorgensen, Electronic Arts' chief financial officer, admitted the game was designed to be easy for new players or children to enjoy, which went against the preferences of some hardcore fans of the 2004 Star Wars: Battlefront game.

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

Some critics noted the game had little content when it was first released. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer criticized the Season Pass approach, saying the limited content available at launch felt unfair.

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 the end of its 2016 financial year on March 31, 2016. After the beta release, the company hoped to sell at least 13 million copies by March 31, 2016. Star Wars Battlefront debuted at number one in the UK for retail non-digital sales during its first week, becoming the fourth fastest-selling title of 2015. It was the biggest launch for a Star Wars video game, selling 117% more copies than the previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. It also became the fastest-selling online PlayStation 4 game in the UK, surpassing the record previously held by Destiny.

In early December 2015, GameStop president Tony Bartel told investors that some key November games, including Star Wars Battlefront, Halo 5, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate, sold fewer copies than expected. Peter Moore defended the game's sales, stating Electronic Arts still aimed to sell 13 million copies by March 2016. By December 31, 2015, 12 million copies had been sold. Electronic Arts met its goal of shipping 13 million copies by early 2016 and had shipped 14 million copies by May 2016. Although released in 2015, the game sold well enough to be the seventeenth best-selling game in the UK in 2016. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold 123,908 copies in its first week, placing it first 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.