DICE has announced that the Star Wars Battlefront beta was played by over nine million gamers across PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One platforms.
The playable teaser for the studio’s upcoming multiplayer-based shooter went live on October 8 and was extended through October 13, wrapping up yesterday afternoon U.K. time. The beta offered gamers a choice of three game modes: Drop Zone on Sullust, Survival on Tatooine and Walker Assault on Hoth. Players were given the chance of siding with the Rebels or Empire forces, and also had the chance of stepping into the boots of the legendary Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as one of the game’s ‘Hero’ units.
"Ever since we revealed Star Wars Battlefront back in April, we knew the beta would be a huge test for our game," commented Senior Producer, Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir. "After all, the beta has been one of the most talked about topics around the game over the last six months, and it was exciting (and a little nerve racking if I’m being completely honest) to open it up to the world.
"And like Han Solo at the end of A New Hope, we’re glad you showed up. Even more importantly than just showing up, you’ve been spending a lot of time playing, having a great time and leaving us some invaluable feedback, as we continue to tune and balance the game until launch.
Published by Electronic Arts, Star Wars Battlefront is scheduled for a November 17 release in the U.S. and November 20 in Europe. Unsurprisingly, the game’s launch is in close proximity to the release of the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which opens in cinemas in December 2015. Battlefront is powered by the Frostbite 3.0 engine, and is positioned as a reboot of the celebrated franchise following an unsuccessful attempt to develop Star Wars Battlefront 3 during the previous console generation. The current build of the title is reported to run at 900p on PS4 and 720p on Xbox One.
Star Wars Battlefront is a multiplayer-focused title and as such will not implement a single-player campaign, with players able to compete in massive online battles for up to 40 participants. Battlefront will allow gamers to switch between a first and third-person perspective as they see fit, as you wage war as either a Rebel or Imperial Stormtrooper across several iconic Star Wars locations including Hoth, Endor, Tatooine and Jakku. In addition, DICE is also giving players the chance to play as a number of iconic characters from the series; aside from the aforementioned Vader and Skywalker, it looks as if we’ll also be able to control Han Solo, Princess Leia and the Emperor.
The game will receive a $50 Season Pass as well as an Ultimate Edition, although right now it remains unknown what the latter will feature. Finally, DICE recently confirmed details on three new game modes: Cargo, Hero Hunt, and Droid Run.
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