Star Wars Battlefront 2 Launches Nov 17; Perhaps No Season Pass

Published: April 15, 2017 11:32 PM /

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Star Wars Battlefront 2

Today EA announced that Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be releasing worldwide on November 17 to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The announcement came at the Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Florida. EA stated "Building upon the foundation of groundbreaking visuals and authenticity of EA’s Star Wars Battlefront, DICE, Motive and Criterion are teaming up to deliver one of the most expansive Star Wars games to date"

The new game will have content spanning the entirety of the Star Wars franchise from the original movies all the way to The Force Awakens, and it will include an original story following an Empire soldier that shows what took place between Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens. EA says that they've been working closely with Lucasfilm on the original content in order to make sure it's done right. Talking about the direction they wanted to take with Battlefront 2 Matt Webster the Executive Producer at Criterion said:

In Star Wars Battlefront II, we all wanted to really capture the essence of being heroic and how in Star Wars, anyone can become a hero, whether that’s playing as an iconic character like Rey or Luke, as a front-line trooper or fighter pilot in epic multiplayer battles, or playing through a new Star Wars story that bridges the gap between Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you will become a hero in Star Wars Battlefront II.

The original story will put you in the shoes of elite imperial officer Iden Versio the leader of Inferno Squad, modeled after and voiced by Janina Gavankar, after the end of Return of the Jedi and span 30 years up to The Force Awakens. Game Director at Motive Studios Mark Thompson said "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.”

To show they've been listening to fan feedback they have also announced that space combat will be seeing a return in Battlefront 2, Explaining this EA stated:

Criterion, with a deep history of creating some of gaming’s fastest and intuitive vehicles, has built space combat from the ground up with refined handling, weapons, and customization options. Players can drop into the cockpit of the galaxy’s most iconic ships, weave between asteroid fields and fly through imperial dockyards in high stakes dogfights.

There will also be several pre-order bonuses including special looks for Rey and Kylo Ren, special ability upgrades for them in multiplayer, and access to the Millennium Falcon and a new First Order ship. The Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition will come with every trooper class getting upgrades, as well as three-day early access to Battlefront 2. 

Another thing changing between the previous game and Battlefront 2 is the ditching of the season pass. In an interview with Mashable recently, Bernd Diemer, DICE's Battlefront 2 creative director revealed that there will not be a season pass for the game. He explained that he couldn't give details, but said that "We don't want to segment our community." He further explained that it was "dangerous" to the health of the game, and it can lead to a situation where "the community is falling apart because there are simply not many people playing the different modes. So we definitely want to avoid that." However, EA gave a statement to Mashable clarifying the statements Diemer made:

While we’re not ready to confirm any live service plans just yet, what we can say is this we heard the feedback from our Battlefront community loud and clear. We know they want more depth, more progression, and more content. So we’re focused on delivering that in every dimension of Star Wars Battlefront II. We’ll have more to share about our plans soon.
So EA might not be fully giving up on some kind of season pass like system, but has heard the community in their dissatisfaction with the way the season pass worked in Star Wars Battlefront. 
If you want to learn more about Star Wars Battlefront 2, read our report from the Star Wars event earlier today.
 
What do you think of how Star Wars Battlefront 2 is looking so far? Are you excited for an original, canon story in Battlefront 2? How do you think space combat will be different from the older Battlefront games that featured it? Let us know in the comments!

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Kyle Downey TechRaptor
| Staff Writer

Staff Writer looking to keep you both informed and entertained. Favorite games include: Pokemon, Overwatch, Golden Sun, Portal, and Elder Scrolls.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Star Wars Battlefront 2
Developer
DICE
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4
Release Date
November 17, 2017 (Calendar)
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