Let’s Talk Battlefront 3

UPDATE, 10/04/12: Hey, you know the funny thing about rumours? They don’t always turn out to be true. But don’t lose hope! We’ll get that ‘Battlefront’ sequel one day. As well as ‘TimeSplitters 4’. And a ‘Smash TV’ reboot. Hopefully.

While Kinect Star Wars disappoints critics and fans alike, at least Star Wars fans have had something else to keep them happy recently (other than that admittedly sweet looking R2-D2 limited edition Xbox 360). Well, maybe not happy – maybe more sad, as this pre-alpha footage shows a build of the much awaited ‘Star Wars: Battlefront 3’ that will never actually see the light of day. Why, cruel world, why?

(footage thanks to Past to Present Online)

The footage you’re seeing is pre-alpha footage of Battlefront 3, developed by Free Radical Design in 2008. Now, there are two things you probably already know here – the first being that Battlefront 3 was obviously canned long ago, and the second being that Free Radical Design (developers of the ‘TimeSplitters’ series, probably my favourite video game series ever) are sadly no longer with us. So, as mentioned, you aren’t going to be seeing this build of Battlefront 3 on the shelves of your local video game retailer, ever. What the footage shows is the early glimpses of the Battlefront sequel we’ve all wanted for years. In particular, the seamless transition between ground and space combat is a major and incredibly impressive improvement to the series. We also see a slightly different third person camera – think more ‘Gears of War’ over-the-shoulder – and… the freaking Millennium Falcon! Further videos on Borman18’s channel show the single player campaign, split-screen mode, the Death Star and a whole bunch more.

So what happened to Battlefront 3? Since the demise of Free Radical there’s been plenty of rumours. From the series original developers, the now-defunct Pandemic Studios, to PSP ‘Battlefront’ devs Rebellion Developments and even all the way back to Free Radical’s phoenix from the ashes, Crytek UK. These, and plenty other, rumours have all been circulating the web since 2008, but nothing really 100% concrete has surfaced since there. The best best for Battlefront 3’s current developer right now is Spark Unlimited. Coverage and evidence of this has been reported by TuggieGameReviews for, oh, a pretty long time now. Kudos to Tuggie for sticking with it and consistently providing Battlefront fans with hope and well-reseached theories on Battlefront 3’s possible development. All his research and evidence is there, so I’m not going to reiterate it all here. I’ve personally enjoyed his coverage and it’s all made me a bit excited for a new Battlefront game – so much so that I could potentially have a breakdown if it doesn’t happen soon. I’ve got a lot of fond memories of both major releases of the Battlefront series, and still find myself putting in the odd match here and there on the PC version of Battlefront 2. I’m a big fan, and I’ve been awaiting this sequel for freaking ages.

I’m going to end by pointing out something I noticed from Spark Unlimited’s projects page, under their listing for ‘unannounced current project 1’:

‘…we are looking for innovative and creative professionals to bring to life a Triple-A game for an awaiting, highly critical audience.’

An ‘awaiting, highly critical’ audience? You know what that sounds like to me, more than anything else? That sounds like Star Wars fans. Star Wars fans who’ve been waiting years for Battlefront 3.

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