— Ch. 1 · The Reboot Strategy —
Star Wars Battlefront (2015 video game).
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In May 2013, Electronic Arts secured exclusive rights to develop Star Wars games for consoles. This move followed the shutdown of LucasArts and marked a new era for the franchise. DICE, Visceral Games, and BioWare began work on new projects under this agreement. Patrick Söderlund, the studio head at DICE, stated that the game would be his team's interpretation of what Battlefront should be. He emphasized incorporating elements from previous titles while avoiding a direct sequel label. Instead, they branded it as a reboot to align with the new canon established by Disney after acquiring Lucasfilm.
DICE chose photogrammetry over traditional modeling techniques to create assets. Small artist teams selected specific assets for level designers to build maps. The process took half the time required for Battlefield 4 assets. In June 2014, EA revealed Hoth and Endor as playable maps during their E3 press conference. By late October, the release date was set for Christmas 2015 to coincide with The Force Awakens. To meet this deadline, the team removed the single-player campaign mode entirely.
Multiplayer Mechanics And Modes
Players traverse planets like Endor, Hoth, Tatooine, Bespin, and Sullust using first-person or third-person views. They can switch perspectives freely except when controlling hero characters. Vehicles such as speeder bikes and AT-ST walkers unlock during matches via random tokens. Battles remain planet-based until DLC added space maps later. Weapons, gear, and abilities are customizable and shareable among teammates. No iron sights exist apart from one blaster, though players can zoom for accuracy.
The game features Walker Assault where forty players on each side fight. Rebels aim to destroy advancing AT-AT walkers while Empire defends uplink stations. Fighter Squadron offers starship-only combat in a sky deathmatch format. Blast modes limit twenty players to reach one hundred kills first. Supremacy tasks teams of forty to capture control points. Hero Hunt pits a single hero against seven pursuers in a cat-and-mouse dynamic. Heroes vs Villains rounds require six-person teams protecting three heroes or villains. Cargo mode mirrors capture-the-flag mechanics with two six-person squads stealing cargo.