Be wary of Nintendo Switch Battlefront and Rogue Squadron rumors
Recently, rumors regarding the upcoming Nintendo Switch and a few Star Wars properties have been swirling about.
As with any rumors, however, take these with a grain of salt.
On December 26, a Redditor who goes by TheRealGeno posted on the Nintendo Switch subreddit (link goes to Reddit archive site Ceddit because the original post has since been removed):
EA also plans […] [to] bring Star Wars Battlefront II: Wrath of the First Order to the Nintendo Switch Holiday 2017. Nintendo also wants to work with EA to make two special Nintendo Switch bundles, one themed after the First Order and one themed after the Resistance with the game packed in. […] Why such the love? Nintendo has given EA and Criterion Games a dream offer: Having Nintendo and Disney help fund, distribute and quality control a spiritual successor to the Star Wars Rouge [sic] Squadron series exclusive for the Nintendo Switch after 2017.
TheRealGeno also indicated that Nintendo plans to bring a version of the Disney Tsum Tsum game to the Switch and it will include characters from the Rebels TV show. Additionally, mobile game Galaxy of Heroes will arrive to the Switch as a eShop exclusive “Nindie” game.
These rumors are big if true. First, this would be the first reveal of the second Battlefront’s name (Wrath of the First Order). Next, a “spiritual successor” to Rogue Squadron sounds quite awesome. Additionally, having Criterion Games develop the game would be great; the studio worked on the speeder bike chase mission for Battlefront and they crafted the PSVR Battlefront X-Wing mission, too.
However, these rumors remain far from confirmed. There’s actually a good chance that they will prove to be false.
For instance, TheRealGeno claimed that Mass Effect: Andromeda will launch for the Switch sometime in March. However, since the leak developers of Andromeda have hinted that they don’t plan for the game to release on that platform.
Mass Effect Andromeda.
With this in mind, it seems reasonable to conclude that that information regarding the Star Wars properties will also turn out false. Still, I suppose there is a chance that the information may prove true.
I’m also not a huge fan of the “Wrath of the First Order” name. It just feels a little lacking for a Star Wars subtitle. However, if the name is indeed floating around in the industry, it could be the working title for the game or perhaps the name of the game’s possible campaign.
I would, however, be ecstatic to see Star Wars return to Nintendo platforms. The lone Wii U Star Wars games are LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Angry Birds Star Wars. Going back further, the last Star Wars game that didn’t tie into another brand to release on a Nintendo system was The Force Unleashed II, which came out back in 2010.
The Force Unleashed II.
Seeing a new Rogue Squadron-style game would also be excellent. I spent much of my childhood zooming around with X-Wings in those games. It would be fun to revisit those memories with modern graphics!
The Switch’s mobile capabilities would also be intriguing for Battlefront. While the system would likely have a graphically downgraded version of the game, being able to play Battlefront on-the-go would be handy.
However, I’m not sold on the validity of TheRealGeno’s leaks just yet. I would recommend waiting until after Nintendo’s January 13 Treehouse event and cross-checking some of TheRealGeno’s claims. If he winds up correct on some things, there’s a better chance that the Star Wars claims are also correct. However, if TheRealGeno fails to get much right, the Star Wars claims hold less weight.
Do you think these rumors are true? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or head on over to Twitter or Facebook.
(Top image source. Second image source. Third image source. Bottom image source.)
