So what’s up with Battlefront’s “new” Ultimate Edition?
EA/DICE recently announced that Battlefront will get an Ultimate Edition in November.
“But wait!” you say. “Battlefront already has an Ultimate Edition!”
And you’d be right. The Ultimate Edition of Battlefront is currently available and retails for US$80 on PC (the Xbox One and PS4 have similar price points, but they’re down to $70 at the time of this post).
The announcement for the “new” Ultimate Edition comes a day after the product went up for preorder on Amazon.
As far as I can tell, the new Ultimate Edition doesn’t offer much over the old one. They both include the base game, the Season Pass content and several pre-unlocked items (such as a couple Ion Star Cards, the DL-44 blaster and an emote). However, there are several key points to notice:
- The new Ultimate Edition will retail for $40, according to product listings on Amazon. This is actually a huge price cut and is less than the current cost of the Season Pass.
- According to the same product listings, it’s due out November 18. This matches with EA/DICE’s official release of “November”. It’s also one year and one day removed from Battlefront’s original release date.
- In the United States it seems to be getting a physical release, whereas the Ultimate Edition currently is only available via a digital purchase. My guess is that the base game will be on the disc and will include a code to unlock the Season Pass content. This is partially because Rogue One isn’t scheduled until December. It would also require extra cost to print new versions of Battlefront discs. Also note that news site Video Gamer wrote that the UK will only be getting a digital release and not a physical one.
- The Ultimate Edition has been repackaged to promote the Rogue One DLC. A sticker on the cover reads: “Includes characters, maps, and more from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”.
I don’t necessarily agree with EA’s marketing tactic to confusingly repacking an existing product; however, this “new” Ultimate Edition is actually a great thing for Battlefront.
For starters, the lower price point will make the game more appealing to people considering Battlefront. Going off that, a cheaper entry point should bolster the overall player count. This is beneficial to those currently playing the game because it should be easier to find full lobbies. Additionally, I suspect that the Season Pass will drop in price as well, giving players who currently own the game more incentive to buy the DLC content.
Personally, I’d refrain from purchasing the Season Pass or Battlefront itself until November (unless you find a deal somewhere). Waiting a few weeks should save you some cash.
Regardless, player numbers should increase in the near future. Coupled with Battlefront’s arrival to the EA Access Vault, there will hopefully be an influx of players on the battlefront by the year’s end.
