A Star Wars Video Game Is Having An Unexpected Comeback Years After Its Original Release

By Ryan Scott
Rey, Darth Maul, and Iden Versio on the cover art for Star Wars Battlefront II EA

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Something strange is happening in a galaxy far, far away. It relates to the video game "Star Wars Battlefront II," which was released by EA in 2017. The title served as a sequel to the 2015 "Battlefront" reboot, which was the first big new game from the Disney era of "Star Wars" after the LucasArts video game studio was shut down. So, why are we talking about a game that came out more than seven years ago and hasn't gotten an update since 2020? Well, because it's seemingly more popular than ever.

In recent weeks, somewhat inexplicably (at least on the surface), "Battlefront II" has absolutely surged in its active player count, shattering records on Steam. It has also broken the active player count multiple times, climbing close to 19,000. Mind you, the record up until very recently was closer to 10,000. So, this is highly unusual. While player counts aren't readily available on PlayStation or Xbox platforms, there appears to be a surge on consoles as well.

"Battlefront II" was a bit of a mixed bag upon release. The first "Battlefront" was pretty much "'Call of Duty' but make it 'Star Wars'" and hardly resembled the classic "Star Wars: Battlefront" games from the early 2000s. The follow-up was seen as an improvement in terms of overall gameplay, though, especially since it added a single-player campaign. That campaign focused on a new character in the form of the commander of the Imperial Inferno Squad, who uncovers a First Order conspiracy leading up to the events of "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi." "Battlefront II" even featured a pretty important speech from Palpatine.

The game was also met with some controversy upon arrival. EA originally had a "pay to play" loot box system that was not met with kindness from players. This was partially blamed for the softer-than-expected sales in the early going. EA eventually reversed course though and the game enjoyed a relatively healthy life until, on April 28, 2020, it was announced that no more fresh content would be added.

Why is Star Wars Battlefront II surging in popularity now?

The Millennium Falcon chasing Boba Fett's ship in Star Wars Battlefront II EA

That was seemingly that. Most of these online-based games tend to just dwindle until the player count evaporates or until the servers are taken offline. However, "Battlefront II" has had a most unlikely comeback driven purely by die-hard fans who have been rallying around the game. That even includes Muhannad Ben Amor, who played Wilmon in "Andor," with the actor recently sharing his love for the title on Instagram.

"Grew up with 'Battlefront II' — been a veteran since day one. Let's hope 'Battlefront III' happens!" the actor wrote, adding that he already had a whopping 469 hours logged in the game. Not for nothing, but "Andor" pulled Cassian's blaster straight from "Star Wars Battlefront." But I digress. Anyway, Amor's comments get to the heart of the matter here. Aside from those who grew up playing the game like the "Andor" veteran, the social media campaigns and recent rally cries around "Battlefront II" are all apparently about trying to get Disney and Lucasfilm to make "Battlefront III" happen.

No such plans have been announced by EA or Lucasfilm, but this recent surge in interest hasn't gone unnoticed. "Battlefront II" is, as of this writing, the 12th highest-selling game on Steam. That's meaningful money and meaningful amounts of real-world interest. On Reddit recently, a fan asked which developers have said they would come back to EA to work on the proposed game. Mats Helge Holm, who was involved in the development of "Battlefront II," chimed in with the following:

"Me, and having heard around my group of ex-colleagues, we want to get the gang back together."

That's the developer side, and it's encouraging to the community of people rallying around this game. But what about Disney and Lucasfilm? Can this campaign garner enough attention to get them to listen? Maybe. Comments relating to "Battlefront III" are flooding unrelated posts on TikTok. Mind you, this largely doesn't appear to be toxic chatter (a la the complaints from certain people who didn't like "The Last Jedi") or what have you; rather, it seems to be a string of firm but polite requests from fans.

Can Star Wars Battlefront III actually happen?

The Ewoks getting ready for battle in the Ewok Hunt mode in Star Wars Battlefront II EA

The question now is: Will the powers that be listen? Can all of this interest in "Battlefront II" and these various social media campaigns actually help get "Battlefront III" made? In short: yes. It all comes down to money, as these things often do. It may not be in the plans for Lucasfilm at the immediate moment, but if there's money to be made, those plans can certainly be altered.

Commercially, it could make a great deal of sense. If developer DICE and EA could deliver a satisfying third entry, there is a lot of opportunity. "Battlefront II" released several well-regarded updates, including inventive new modes like "Ewok Hunt" that let players hunt down stormtroopers on Endor. With movies like "The Mandalorian and Grogu" and "Star Wars: Starfighter" coming down the pipeline, a new "Battlefront" video game could provide an avenue for themed DLC.

A "Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection" was released last year, and it bundled the original 2004 and 2005 games together with some updates. Unfortunately, that release didn't go over terribly well. "Star Wars Outlaws" was also met with a somewhat mixed reception and has not sold as well as Ubisoft might have hoped. That said, there's an argument to be made that Disney can meet a growing demand here. Granted, game development takes years, so it would be quite a while before this would come to fruition. Still, a not insignificant number of fans would clearly be happy to get a "Battlefront III" announcement. Your move, Lucasfilm.

You can pick up "Star Wars Battlefront II" for PlayStation or Xbox from Amazon.

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