I hate paralyzing myself in anticipation, even over writing this post. The subject puts me in such a state because it's difficult to decipher who's to blame over delaying the inevitable release of Star Wars: Battlefront III. LucasArts would be the obvious culprit, almost too obvious, but I feel the situation involves more parties.
Hardly a Star Wars fan myself, relating to the devotion and passion of some fans seems wrong. Almost criminal. Though common knowledge is enough to warrant excitement for the impending announcement of any future installations. In fact, battling on the snowy grounds of Hoth and in the sandy villages of Tattooine gave myself a newfound appreciation for the franchise (and for anything spacefaring really).
What the Battlefront series did was so refreshing and enlightening that it forced non-fans to succumb to excellent story-driven gameplay and an incredibly addicting multiplayer component. No other games within the long lineup of Star Wars releases have persisted so, and no "nonexistent" game has received as much fanfare in the last five years as Battlefront III.
It's impossible to dictate where development currently stands, and if it even has a standing. LucasArts has priorities and conflicting reports claimed the developer/publisher permanently shut down any chance of The Force Unleashed 3. Despite disappointing review scores, both previous games miraculously sold well and a second sequel was likely. A new turn for LucasArts, maybe?
A long-running fan site dedicated to any news continuously posts updates on rumours, but nothing has been outright confirmed by anyone. (It's quite depressing to read through the catalog of posts on the site and notice the blaring sense of hopelessness protruding from each article.)
As Star Wars continues to exist, as will the rumours. Sadly, all the attention will shift to The Old Republic, the massive MMO from Bioware seeking to overtake World of Warcraft's throne. The interest generated, as well with the rerelease of both trilogies on Blu-ray, should keep the fans appeased for now, but the calls for Battlefront 3 won't die down anytime soon. At least not from me.
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