In 2015, EA released the highly anticipated authentic Star Wars shooter, Star Wars: Battlefront. Some people were a bit let down by the game because of the lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and some bland maps. It felt like Star Wars but it wasn't an amazing game for some especially after the first two Battlefront games in the early 2000s.
EA has set out to make a bigger and better sequel with Battlefront 2 and we have all sorts of new pieces of information about the sequel via the Star Wars: Battlefront 2 panel at Star Wars Celebration.
The panel kicked off with a brand new trailer showing off the game's story which is set at the end of Return of the Jedi. You'll play as the leader of an elite group of stormtroopers called Inferno Squadron who witness the destruction of the Death Star. The game's story is being developed alongside Lucasfilm and it will be cannon, meaning this all happened in the universe of the movies and current books.
The team wanted the game's campaign to have an all new perspective where you play as the bad guys who feel they need to avenge the Emperor and help the Empire live on. The game won't just take place from the perspective Inferno Squad, though. It was also confirmed that Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren (among many other unnamed iconic characters) will be playable in the game's campaign.
“EA has assembled an incredible set of developers to create a Star Wars gaming experience unlike anything fans have ever experienced,” said Douglas Reilly, Senior Director, Digital & Franchise Management. “Star Wars Battlefront II will offer everything players loved about the last installment, and adds new modes that we know the fans want, including an entirely new story developed in partnership with Lucasfilm.”
“We wanted to create a campaign that told a story we haven’t seen before in Star Wars,” says Mark Thompson, Game Director at Motive Studios. “It was important for us to tell a new authentic story, one that gives players a brand-new perspective. By putting players in the boots of an elite member of the Imperial forces, we can show them what the battle was like from the other side.”
The game's story will also have a spin-off book set four years prior called Star Wars Battlefront 2: Inferno Squad written by Christina Golden. You'll learn more about the game's characters, their backstory, and much more. The main character, Iden Versio, has a legacy in the Empire. Her father is an admiral and he helped take her homeworld, Vardos, and make it an Imperial occupied planet. The book will release July 25th, 2017.
The game's multiplayer will expand into all eras of Star Wars including the prequels, the original trilogy, and the new trilogy. This means you'll get to play as iconic characters like Darth Maul!
The game's multiplayer will feature classes that work similar to Battlefield but with that Star Wars touch. Since the game features multiple eras, you're character's skin and weapons will change depending on the maps you're on. You can even personalize the Heroes (the Jedi's and Sith Lords) and upgrade them how you please.
One of the complaints of the first game is that there weren't space battles until the DLC. Now it'll play a significant part of the sequel's multiplayer. You'll see a range of vehicles from all eras and different ships will be able to do drastically different things.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will release worldwide on November 17th, 2017. You can view the cover art for the game's standard and deluxe editions below.
[Quotations from Business Wire press release]
