Electronic Arts continues to hint at the possibility of a single-player campaign being included in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Tentatively pegged for fall 2017, we know that DICE has sought help from developer Motive Studios for Battlefront 2, allowing for a sequel that is seemingly “much bigger” and “much more exciting” than its predecessor. Could that signal the advent of a fully-fledged story mode? According to EA’s Justin McCully, it’s all but certain.
Appearing on the Achievement Oriented podcast (via GameSpot), McCully stressed that the original Star Wars Battlefront was designed “to nail the core multiplayer experience” that DICE is renown for; however, such a commitment to online play didn’t stop many players from lamenting the lack of a solo, narrative-driven experience. It appears those cries haven’t fallen on deaf ears, after McCully noted that the dev team is “very focused on delivering that single-player element.”
“The focus of the first game was to nail the core multiplayer experience of what DICE does great. That was the strategy of that title. And now as we expand in the universe we have better sense of what characters are coming into play, what stories we can tell, what stories are maybe being told in a film versus a game, that’s where we’ve really ramped up the interaction with the [Lucasfilm Story Group] to bring those games to market. We heard the fans loud and clear that the multiplayer was great, but it wasn’t enough and they wanted that complete package. So the team has been very focused on delivering that single-player element.”
When quizzed about the canned Star Wars 1313, McCully conceded that “kernels of ideas” from the scrapped project may appear in the future, but both he and the team at EA aren’t interested in dredging up old ideas.
“You need player agency. Gaming is not linear,” he said. “You need to give the player some choice and have them tell their own stories. That’s different from a linear story that’s presented in film or TV. A character that you’re helping to define.”
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is expected to deploy for consoles and PC late next year. Buoyed by the cinematic launch of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, select Battlefront players can now pick up the Scarif DLC – providing you’re a Season Pass holder or own the game’s Ultimate Edition – before it debuts for all users on December 20.
