What the comeback of Star Wars Battlefront II says about the gaming industry

At the time of writing this, May 26th 2025, Star Wars Battlefront 2 has officially broken it's all-time player peak three times in a row according to SteamDB and it shows no signs of slowing down.

The Reinforcements have Arrived

My brother and I, along with the community, have jumped back into Battlefront and it's been an incredible experience.

Nearly all the gamemodes are packed with players, finally freeing us from the dreaded server hop. Even modes like Starfighter Assault are getting some action. It is an unprecedented surge that is turning heads. Two crucial questions arise:

1. What would need to have been done if work continued on Battlefront 2?

2. Why is this important in the context of the current gaming industry?

The Dark Side clouds our Vision

The first question can't be answered with, "The game needed content and should not have been dropped." Instead, I believe that Battlefront 2 would need to have more in-between elements on top of additional content. With the second question, Battlefront 2 is a wake up call for companies to realize that rehashed generic shooters aren't going to cut it anymore.

Before Battlefront 2's development ended, the game at the time featured all three eras with a plethora of heroes, modes, and classes to choose from. Had they continued development, we could have seen even more content released throughout the years. It's easy to speculate the things they might have added. More weapons, customization, maps, and heroes to choose from would be enough to have it leave a noticeable mark. However, I believe that more would have to be done to leave a significant mark.

What I mean is that Battlefront would have to feel like a different game. Of course, it would feel different if more content was released. However, additional content can't change the underlying segment that bridges the gameplay into that classic Star Wars feel.

Okay, what does that mean? Well, look back at the old Battlefront games. What did they have that Battlefront 2 doesn't? No, it is not nostalgia. No, it is not the maps. The answer is rawness. By crafting a raw player experience that connects with the various elements of the game, only then will it truly feel like Star Wars. Don't get me wrong, Battlefront 2 already feels and plays like Star Wars. I just feel that there could be more done to truly hone in on the experience.

Just like the Simulations

One of the first video games I ever played was the original Star Wars Battlefront by Pandemic Studios on my dad's PlayStation 2. The game had everything a Star Wars fan could want. There were multiple maps, classes, and gamemodes that ultimately culminated in what I believed to be the pinnacle of Star Wars games at the time.

However, it is not just those elements that made the first Battlefront so great. It's all the little details underneath that helped create that raw feel. Two major examples of this are the game's user interface and the focus on pure objective-based combat.

These two examples can be summed up as a lack of modern FPS elements. Specifically for the UI, the original Battlefront favors a minimal interface which enhances the player's natural awareness rather than having the game simply tell them. For instance, there are no friendly or enemy highlights, no grenade warnings, and no killfeed. Many of these elements are typically present in modern shooters which we have, unfortunately, grown accustomed to.

Going back to EA's Battlefront 2, there are so many things happening on the screen that takes your attention away from the core game experience. Examples of this include how enemies are almost always marked, grenades have obvious indicators, and the most blatant is the score counter. Admittedly, I do like seeing how much score I've accumulated during matches. But that one mechanic is what takes me out of it. My efforts from capturing objectives begin to shift towards getting the most score in the match. Yes, I am playing the objective, but not for the reason of acquiring it strategically.

This coincides with the 2nd example being the objective based gameplay. In the original Battlefront, you had two gamemodes which each placed emphasis on capturing and holding territory. In Conquest, your goal is on taking enemy points and depleting them of their reinforcements. As for Galactic Conquest, the same goal applies and extends into a much greater objective based campaign. Each planet now has its own reward for holding it and it's up to you to decide where to launch an offensive and how to defend. That is what defines the raw feeling of Star Wars. Your focus becomes more strategic in the larger picture of the battle. Whereas in EA's Battlefront 2, it's all about getting the most score and kills, leaving the primary objective as a side show to prolong the engagement.

All too Easy

Even if EA chose not to revamp the Battlefront 2 feel, it still could have achieved so much more had they continued working on the game.

The current surge in players and their opinions is a clear sign of that sentiment seeing as everyone has been requesting updates or a sequel to the game. That alone sends a clear message about the current state of the industry. Player's aren't looking for another new generic shooter. They want what they already had or what they could have gotten.

Nowadays, companies with FPS titles are constantly pushing for the next big game while slowly dropping support for their older titles. Then, when their new game comes out, many of us follow the urge to buy it since that's where everyone is being forced to go, and its why the vicious cycle continues

Fortunately, there are select cases where the opposite has occurred and as of now, Star Wars Battlefront 2 has done just that and has proved that it was, and is still worthy of continued support.