Star Wars Battlefront: 8 Big Things It Must Learn From The Older Games

Multiplayer-only isn't the way forward...

by Ewan Paterson

The weight that DICE undertook when they started working on Battlefront is pretty much immeasurable. A little over 10 years since Pandemic's first sequel released, the level of hype, demand and subsequent frustration there has been for a follow up has remained consistent, and passionate above all else. Indeed, fans have a lot to say about the upcoming 'reboot' of one of the most successful Star Wars releases of all time, and whilst chatter has remained overwhelmingly positive, fans of the originals have been left a little unnerved by some of the creative decisions made by both Battlefront's developers and publisher. Though it's almost certain that the original trilogy has remained as the bastion of Star Wars' quality, the decision to dismiss the 'Clone Wars' setting - especially after a wildly successful animated show - hasn't been too willingly received by would be purchasers of the long awaited revamp. Gone too are fan favourite space encounters, and a strict multiplayer-only focus has caused much upset from within the community. Obviously what we've seen of Battlefront has so far looked immaculate, heartfelt and even innovative, but these classic features are going to be missed long after its release - irrespective of the level of quality DICE manages to attain when it drops this coming November. Though it's been made abundantly clear that this Battlefront is attempting to be its own thing, it's important to remember where the series' popularity came from, and more importantly - how best to emulate it.

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.