What 'Battlefront II' Players Almost Got In Cut DLC
Star Wars Battlefront II is the most recent entry in the classic action-shooter franchise that has dropped fans into iconic firefights across the galaxy for years. Since the first entry came out in 2004, fans have relished the opportunity to feel what it would be like to be a clone trooper fighting across the plains of Naboo, or a rebel spy infiltrating enemy lines. As these games have moved into the realm of newer consoles, fans have eagerly awaited DLC (downloadable content) to reinvigorate their gameplay experience.
As is often the case with newer games, the Battlefront DLC has been a mixed bag. EA's first attempt at rebooting the fan-favorite franchise came in 2015 and got off to a rocky start when it was announced the game would solely focus on the Galactic Civil War. With no Clone Wars content to expand and diversify gameplay, the lifespan of this game was fairly limited for most players. Even DLC kept the game firmly within the confines of the original trilogy with maps like Bespin and Jabba's palace being added, and blasters from Rogue One and Rebels being added to the arsenal.
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Two years later, another Battlefront title was released, complete with prequel and sequel era content. Polished and fine tuned, the game got off to a rough start due to the "loot box controversy", but fans of the game (including myself) were quick to defend the immersive gameplay, gorgeous maps, and fast-paced action. One of the key parts of a Battlefront game is the playable heroes and villains. While being a stormtrooper is all well and good, capturing command posts with your blaster rifle and thermal detonators, the ability to wield a lightsaber against lesser infantry is what often keeps players coming back.
To an extent, the developer behind Battlefront II, DICE, understood this and began attaching new heroes to their free DLC packages. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Dooku, and BB-8 are just a few of the more powerful characters added to the game post-launch, culminating with a Scarif map that arrived in April 2020 and marked the final update for Battlefront II, leading EA to declare their "vision for the game, complete." However, it seems that there was much more in mind that players never got to experience.
Dennis Brannvall, game director for Battlefront II, devout Star Wars fan, and information goldmine on Twitter, recently was prompted into revealing plans for cut content after fan speculation on Reddit. Brannvall confirmed that the next DLC the team at DICE had planned was a 2nd Clone Wars pack, centered around the hellish lava-scape of Mustafar. The DLC would have featured two fan-favorite female characters that players of the game had long been clamoring for; Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress.
Unfortunately, it seems that these two Clone Wars characters were not the only ones to be left on the cutting room floor. Brannvall also talked about the release order of DLC for the 2015 iteration of Battlefront, stating that Old Ben Kenobi, Tarkin, and IG-11 were all talked about as playable characters by his creative team but unfortunately, due to varying issues, these characters were never included in the game.
Long-time players of Battlefront II will recall the rumor mill swirling around the time of the final Scarif DLC. With many people speculating that not only would Ahsoka and Ventress be joining the fight, but others as well. Data-miners found multiple code references to Padme Amidala as a playable hero and a map set on Coruscant. Given the pivotal moment that Order 66 was for the galaxy, and the iconic "Knightfall" mission in the original Battlefront II, it seems only natural that this Coruscant map would have been some iteration of the Jedi Temple. Fans also speculated that the duel-pistol wielding ARC Trooper reinforcement that was added to the Republic side was a test run for adding Jango Fett as a playable villain at a later date. Unfortunately, this never materialized and Boba remains the only playable character in Mandalorian armor.
For years fans have been calling for a complete and comprehensive Battlefront experience, combining all the best things, from multiple successful titles, into one cohesive experience. Given the sheer popularity of Star Wars and action-packed video games, it seems absurd that fans and gamers have yet to play as Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin, or a plethora of other characters. With the licensing rules at Lucasfilm Games being slightly laxed recently, and other studios besides EA given a crack at the IP, the future looks bright for fans of Star Wars video games. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that Battlefront III will be greenlit and that it will live up to the hype and dreams of gamers seeking adventure in a galaxy far, far, away.
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Source: Screen Rant, Bespin Bulletin
