The idea of a new Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was shut down after publisher Electronic Arts (EA) took into account its licensing fees and the current status of the Battlefield franchise.
According to a report by VentureBeat earlier today, EA has decided to focus on its own franchises like Dead Space, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect; all of which have new releases in the works at the time of writing.
Star Wars: Battlefront 3 carries a substantial licensing fees and EA wants to mitigate “some of the risk involved” in producing such a new blockbuster triple-a game, and instead emphasize its own intellectual properties.
The report ties in with claims made by reliable leaker Tom Henderson who said last November that developer DICE did indeed pitch Star Wars: Battlefront 3. The pitch was however canned by EA due to the attached licensing fees as the game would have to make “20 percent more sales to make the same money.”
Battlefront 3 was a pitched title from DICE, but ultimately, the title was shot down by EA due to licensing costs.
“It got turned down because it takes 20% more sales to make the same money”, said one past developer.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) November 20, 2021
EA announced three new Star Wars games earlier today, all of which will be helmed at developer Respawn Entertainment, the minds behind Apex Legends. That includes a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel, a new Star Wars first-person shooter and a new Star Wars strategy game. DICE will not be involved with any Star Wars project from here on as EA has reportedly tasked the developer to keep focusing on stabilizing Battlefield 2042 which remains in a fairly troubled state.
Battlefield 2042 has been losing its player-base at an alarming rate. The game may as well be dead two months after release. There are allegedly just around 50,000 players scattered across all platforms with just 400 players in Hazard Zone. The situation is bleak enough for EA to reportedly be considering a free-to-play option in some capacity.
