Star Wars Battlefront 3 Was Reportedly Cancelled for Licensing Costs
Electronic Arts have reportedly rejected Star Wars Battlefront III plans by DICE because of its licensing costs.
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| Star Wars Battlefront III Was Reportedly Cancelled for Licensing Costs |
Despite heavy backlash for micro-transactions and criticism of progression system, 2017 action shooter Star Wars Battlefront II by developer EA DICE and publisher Electronic Arts was second best-selling title at launch with mixed review.
While several other developers like Quantic Dream and Ubisoft are currently working on brand-new Star Wars projects, a third Battlefront series entry was pitched by DICE only to eventually get cancelled by EA due to big licensing costs.
A pitch for Star Wars Battlefront III was made by DICE but was rejected over fees for using Star Wars license. One developer even said, "It got turned down because it takes 20% more sales to make the same money" and so, got cancelled.
A number of key-developers who previously worked on Battlefront franchise have reportedly left, including Battlefront II creative director Dennis Bränvall, core gameplay designer Christian Johannesé and hero designer Guillaume Mroz.
Industry insider Tom Henderson reveals that Battlefront III was cancelled because of Star Wars licensing fees.
Battlefront 3 was a pitched title from DICE, but ultimately, the title was shot down by EA due to licensing costs.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) November 20, 2021
“It got turned down because it takes 20% more sales to make the same money”, said one past developer.
Lucasfilm has confirmed ending Star Wars exclusivity deal with EA and announces a new open-world game by Ubisoft back in January 2021. EA also responded saying their collaboration with Lucasfilm Games will surely continue in future.
Star Wars: Squadrons developer Motive Studios is currently working on a new Star Wars action game. Meanwhile, Electronic Arts has hinted at focusing on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order sequel after it has sold over 10 million copies in 2019.
EA DICE is currently busy working on next Battlefield game and it not come out anytime sooner than 2023. Therefore, if there is a chance for another Star Wars Battlefront title, it will probably take some time before they could announce it.
EA's two new ongoing Star Wars games are based on single-player narrative, moving away from multiplayer approach of Battlefront. EA and DICE may return to develop Star Wars Battlefront 3 at some point in future but not in a few years.
