Battlefront producer provides clues on sequel in new interview

by Jared · December 8, 2016

A shoretrooper in Battlefront. Image by Cinematic Captures.

Every clue regarding Battlefront 2 is tantalizing.

And thanks to a Eurogamer interview of Battlefront producer Paul Keslin, we now have a few more tantalizing clues to mull over about next year’s sequel.

First, Keslin noted that he can’t say whether or not seamless ground-to-space flight will happen in Battlefront 2:

We’re getting there with some things – it really depends on how giant the world is what some of our goals are. Some of the limitations are that there’s a lot of stuff to throw on screen. We’re trying to lock everything into 60fps, with all this water and vegetation – since our game is so visually authentic, it’s very taxing. I can’t speak right now for what the team might be working on, what that might look like in a seamless world. I can say we haven’t focussed on that as of yet. But maybe!

Next, Keslin talked about a campaign and how newcomers to the franchise, Motive Studio, fits in with the Battlefront brand:

That’s a lot of what we’ve talked about in terms of DICE’s identity and how we approach games. We’re partnering up with some folks from Motive – they have their own take on how things are – but we have a very close relationship with them, and we want everything to feel like a coherent experience. We don’t want it where single player isn’t that great but multiplayer has this great thing and isn’t connected.

I’ll add a bit to this quote: Motive has been rumored to be building a campaign (or some sort of single player offering). However, their particular role has yet to be officially confirmed. EA’s only comment on Motive’s involvement is that the studio is “building out a significant new addition to the game.” Keslin’s wording above certainly seems to imply that the Montreal-based studio is indeed adding to the franchise’s single-player offering.

Concept art from Motive for Battlefront 2.

Concept art from Motive Studios for Battlefront 2.

Keslin then tackled reworking the sequel’s Season Pass model into something more akin to how Titanfall 2 (another EA game) gives players free maps supplemented by paid-for cosmetic items:

We explore a lot of business models, and there’s a lot of thinking around that. For us – more as EA as a company – we throw out the term player first a lot. And what does it mean for games as living experiences over time. To your point – season pass is just content drops. But you’ve seen we’re starting to do things like having events more often, trying to do things that actively engage you on a daily or weekly basis. We’re giving a lot more thought in that area, and how can that evolve what we’ve done in the past. I can’t guarantee one way or another now, but it’s something we’re thinking about.

Hopefully, Battlefront 2 will follow Titanfall 2’s lead and feature free maps. Free maps would limit community split while also enticing more players to come back over time.

Finally, Keslin touched on bringing in content from newer areas in the Star Wars canon, including TV shows and comic books:

I could see from a commercial standpoint that it makes sense – there are new movies coming out, hitch yourself to that star. There are always opportunities to look backwards – there are TV shows, comic books. A lot of us at the studio watch Rebels, a lot of us read the comics. Who know where we’ll go? Well, some people know, obviously.

Ahsoka Tano in the TV show Star Wars Rebels.

I would definitely love to see Battlefront 2 branch out into the further reaches of Star Wars canon. While it likely won’t initially feature content from the prequel era, The Clone Wars TV show would be an excellent source for Season Pass content. Rebels has also done an excellent job expanding Star Wars lore; I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing it get more play, either (it is worth noting, though, that some Rebels content, like Lando’s X-8 Night Sniper or the upcoming Bo-Rifle, has made its way into the current Battlefront).

Certainly interesting stuff! While Keslin didn’t share anything too revealing, he did provide more hints that Motive is indeed working on the single-player portion. He also provided clues that EA is open to changing the Season Pass model for Battlefront 2, while also leaving the door opening for fresh content from places likes Rebels.

These clues can also be added to our growing factbook about Battlefront 2, which includes:

To read Eurogamer’s full article, head on over to their site.

(Top image by Cinematic Captures. Check out their Flickr page for more awesome Battlefront screenshots. Second image source. Third image source.)