Electronic Arts’ first jump into a new era of Star Wars is off to a strong start.
The publisher revealed today that its Star Wars: Battlefront shooter from developer DICE had more than 9 million players take part in its free online multiplayer test across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. That’s a lot of Rebels and Imperials doing battle on Sullust and Hoth, and it’s a good sign that a lot of consumers are interested in what could end up as one of EA’s biggest releases of the year.
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EA used this beta as a way to stress-test its servers to help ensure the final game, which launches November 17, will have as smooth a debut as possible. But the test also acted as a promotional tool. When it launched last week, it was the first time that most gamers had the chance to try Battlefront. And now that they’ve had a taste, it’s possible that many will want to return for the full product.
And giving people a demonstration of Battlefront is important because it does not have a traditional single-player campaign mode, which may turn off some gamers. The beta gave consumers the chance to try two competitive modes and maps as well as cooperative horde mode, and EA had to prove to fans that it can deliver enough multiplayer content to justify a $60 purchase.
We won’t find out whether or not EA and DICE succeeded at winning over fans until later this year, but I can at least say that I loved it and can’t wait to play more.