Should Battlefront 2 come to the Nintendo Switch?
With the Nintendo Switch releasing today, it got me thinking: Should EA’s Battlefront sequel come to the platform?
For me, the answer is an obvious yes.
To start, it would increase the potential audience for the game. Especially coupled with the fact that the next Battlefront is getting a campaign, reaching some of the Switch’s potentially more casual gamers could be a boon for EA.
Next, the Switch allows for mobile play. We’ve had past Battlefront mobile games in the form of Renegade, Mobile and Elite Squadrons. There was also the Battlefront-like Imperial Academy, a somewhat janky first-person shooter for iOS devices. Despite some of those mobile versions being fun, the Switch would enable a fully-fledged Battlefront to be playable on the go.
The mobile capabilities of Battlefront on the Switch are something that excites me the most. If you want to bring Battlefront with you someplace right now, you’d have to lug your console or you PC around and that’s just not realistically feasible. Having a Battlefront on your Switch would make it easy to carry around and play with friends. EA’s first Battlefront was praised for its co-op and I could certainly see that being a highlight if the sequel makes its way to the Switch.
A co-op Survival mission from EA’s first Battlefront. Image by Cinematic Captures.
However, there are some caveats. EA’s Frostbite game engine, which Battlefront runs on, is a rather demanding engine. As such, it may be difficult to port the game over to the lower-powered Switch without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity. The heavy graphics could also put a dent in mobile playtime as the game might chew through the console’s battery.
EA has also been a bit wary of Nintendo’s recent consoles, especially because the Wii U performed poorly. In fact, the last Wii U EA published was Criterion Games’ Need for Speed: Most Wanted U and that came out in early 2013. Despite the reluctance to publish on the Wii U, EA has backed the Switch to a degree and will be releasing FIFA 18 on the console.
Screenshot from Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.
It’s also worth adding that the systems for the next Battlefront are probably already planned. As such, if it is coming to the Switch, it’s development is likely already happening. If it’s not coming to the Switch, then that fact probably won’t change.
Still, bringing Star Wars back to a Nintendo platform could be a wise move. From Super Star Wars on the SNES, to the Rogue Squadron franchise on the N64 and GameCube, Star Wars and Nintendo was the perfect pairing. Save for a couple The Clone Wars games, the LEGO Star Wars franchise and ports of the Force Unleashed titles, Star Wars has been pretty much dead on Nintendo consoles for much of the past decade. Bringing Battlefront—or something along the lines of a Rogue Squadron reboot—could potentially move console sales of the Switch.
Concept art for the Battlefront sequel.
Note that there have been unsubstantiated rumors that the Battlefront sequel is making it’s way to the Switch. However, those rumors amount to nothing more than speculation until an official announcement comes from Nintendo, EA, or some other official entity.
Ultimately, more ways to experience the Star Wars universe is rarely a bad thing. Even if the next Battlefront doesn’t make it, hopefully EA’s portfolio of Star Wars games will branch out to Nintendo’s newest console.
Would you like to see Battlefront on the Nintendo Switch? Or would you prefer a different Star Wars game? Sound off in the comments below or ping SWGO on Twitter or Facebook.
(Top and bottom image source. Second image by Cinematic Captures. Check out their Flickr page for more awesome Battlefront screenshots. Third image source.)
