It’s nearly time to go blow the hell outta some stormtroopers in a galaxy far, far away,
Publisher Electronic Arts announced this morning that the public beta test for its upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront shooter begins October 8 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. This test is to help EA and developer DICE see how well the multiplayer servers will hold up under stress. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this will simultaneously give gamers a taste of one of the most anticipated releases of the fall.
Battlefront is one of the most anticipated games of the holiday season. It comes out on November 17, just a month before the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. It’s the biggest release so far for Electronic Arts, which acquired the rights to the Star Wars license in 2013.
While betas supposedly exist to let players test games, publishers have used them more and more as preorder incentives and as ways of generating buzz. It works well for multiplayer games, since players can get a free taste of the experience, get addicted, then have to buy the full game to play more.