[GameSpot] - EA Rejected Star Wars Battlefront 3 Pitch - Report

[343iBot]

According to a noted insider, EA has rejected DICE's pitch for a third Star Wars Battlefront game in a decision that reportedly came down to licensing costs.

Tom Henderson spoke with a former developer who said Battlefront 3 was rejected because, under the terms of EA's current licensing deal with Disney, a potential third Battlefront game would need to sell 20% more copies to generate the same amount of revenue. EA has always paid Disney a license fee for its Star Wars games, but the terms of this arrangement have never been disclosed.

EA used to be the exclusive developer of Star Wars games for console, but Disney/Lucasfilm ended the exclusive arrangement and are now offering the license to multiple companies. Ubisoft, for example, is making a new open-world Star Wars game with the team that made The Division.

Battlefront 3 was a pitched title from DICE, but ultimately, the title was shot down by EA due to licensing costs.
“It got turned down because it takes 20% more sales to make the same money”, said one past developer.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) November 20, 2021

While DICE might not be developing a new Battlefront, EA has pledged to make more Star Wars games. Henderson said there are currently at least two "story-driven" single-player Star Wars games in the works at EA. One of these might be a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

As for what DICE is making next, in addition to ongoing support for Battlefield 2042, the Swedish studio is currently at the conceptual stage for its next project, according to Henderson. We don't know what the game is, however. EA has not made any official announcements, but CEO Andrew Wilson recently said the Battlefield series might follow Call of Duty: Warzone and Halo Infinite multiplayer and release a free-to-play offering.

GameSpot has contacted EA in an attempt to get more details.

GameSpot's Battlefield 2042 review-in-progress scored the game an 8/10. "What's really impressive in Battlefield 2042 is the variety that's on offer. It lets you play a bunch of different kinds of FPS experiences--in different game modes, in different Portal rule sets, and even in the same match as you switch between characters," Phil Hornshaw said.

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