star-wars-battlefront-3 posts (Subscribe to this feed)

ESRB details new Star Wars: Battlefront titles

by Xav de Matos { May 20th 2009 at 8:30PM }

As it has in the past (accidentally so, we assume), the ESRB has leaked details for upcoming as yet unannounced titles. This time, the ESRB has trickled out details for two games -- both titled Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron -- for the Nintendo DS and PSP, Kotaku reports.

According to product descriptions for each title, the games are presented in third-person and showcases battles throughout the Star Wars universe; in space, on land and in the air. Whether Elite Squadron is related to the Star Wars: Battlefront 3 title (formerly in development at Free Radical) remains to be seen.

Full product descriptions can be found after the break. Joystiq has contacted LucasArts for a comment regarding the listings.

Continued →

Rumorang: Star Wars Battlefront III 'not currently' at Pandemic

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 10th 2009 at 5:04PM }

Despite the rumor to the contrary, it appears that Star Wars: Battlefront III is not in development at Pandemic, the studio responsible for the first two games. Just last week an employee from Rebellion -- where Battlefront III development moved after its initial stint at Free Radical -- reportedly stated that development had shifted to Pandemic. According to Mathew Everett, community manager at Pandemic, the game "is not currently" with the studio. He added that only LucasArts would know the fate of the title at this point.

Depending on your point of view, this news is either a terrible blow or a tremendous relief (unless you're just middlin', of course). Given the popularity of the most recent Star Wars title, The Force Unleashed, we imagine Battlefront III will find a home somewhere. Here's hoping Jabba is finally playable.

[Via VideoGamer]

Rumor: Star Wars Battlefront III goes home to Pandemic [update]

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 5th 2009 at 1:31PM }

Update: According to Pandemic community manager Mathew Everett, the studio is not currently working on Star Wars Battlefront III.

Star Wars Battlefront III has been jumping developers like a frog on a hotplate. First under development at Free Radical, the title was then supposedly moved to Rebellion. Now that Rebellion is hard at work on Aliens Vs. Predator, the latest rumor has the game right back at square one: Pandemic. The rumor comes from website DarkZero, which claims that it received the news directly from a Rebellion employee.

It would make sense, given that Pandemic was responsible for the first two games. Considering the studio also just pushed Lord of the Rings: Conquest out the door, its Batman title was canceled and the only other project we know about is Saboteur, Pandemic doesn't exactly have a full plate.

Rumor: Leaked footage of Star Wars Battlefront 3

by Dustin Burg { Jan 16th 2009 at 10:15AM }

Sporting a Free Radical logo watermark, a video of supposed Star Wars Battlefront 3 alpha footage has made its way onto YouTube and - if legit - gives us nearly six minutes of gameplay to drool over.

The footage was supposedly shot during an "internal show and tell Alpha meeting" that took place in November and not only shows impressive visuals, but nifty gameplay elements including airborne combat that flows seamlessly from planet-level to space. It should be stated that the status of Battlefront 3 is still relatively unknown thanks to the predicament developer Free Radical is in.

[Via Joystiq]

Rumor: 'Leaked' footage shows Star Wars Battlefront 3 in action [update]

by Randy Nelson { Jan 15th 2009 at 9:55PM }

A video posted on YouTube purportedly shows gameplay from an alpha version of Star Wars Battlefront III. Indeed, the footage -- while low in quality -- appears legitimate, with its poster reporting that it "was taken in an internal show and tell Alpha meeting back in November."

Watermarked with a Free Radical logo -- much like pre-release builds of Haze were -- the game appears very similar in mechanics to Star Wars Battlefront II, albeit with dramatically improved visuals (particularly in the area of screen-rocking special effects). Elements of note include airborne combat that seamlessly transitions from a planet's atmosphere into space, the presence of a playable "old" Ben Kenobi (on what appears to be Tatooine) and even playable Ewoks.

There's still no word on the fate of the game given Free Radical's current predicament, but this footage -- if authentic -- has us ~~hoping~~ Jedi meditating that the dev's work so far doesn't go to waste. See the video for yourself after the break.

[Update: YouTube has removed the video at the request of Lucasfilm. GameVideos' version can be found after the break.]

[Via GameVideos]

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Star Wars Battlefront 3 renders revealed by former Free Radical artist

by Randy Nelson { Dec 29th 2008 at 6:26PM }

3D artist Richard Smith – one of 140 employees of Time Splitters (and ... Haze) developer, Free Radical, laid off as the company went belly-up-for-sale – posted images from some of his modeling work on Star Wars Battlefront III on his personal blog. Or, shall we say, what could have been Star Wars Battlefront III.

The renders have since been pulled; lucky thing the internet is faster than the Millennium Falcon making the Kessel Run. Apparently, Smith was working on concepts for Han Solo (above) and a bounty hunter named Shara. Two of the images carry a game logo and are dated 2007, indicating that Battlefront III had been in development for some time prior to Free Radical's demise.

Development on the game is now rumored to continue at UK-based Rebellion, which just so happens to have created Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for PSP.

[Via X3F]

Source – Richard Smith (blog)
Source – Rebellion Battlefront III reports aren't wrong (Videogamer.com)

Former Free Radical employee leaks original Star Wars: Battlefront III renders

by Xav de Matos { Dec 29th 2008 at 1:15PM }

Former Free Radical employee Richard Smith has uploaded original renders created for the company in 2007 as part of the production for Star Wars: Battlefront III to his personal blog. The very early renders include images of Han Solo and Sahra The Bounty Hunter. Smith, along with over 75% of his coworkers, was recently laid off from as the developer attempts to sell its studio. Free Radical had previously developed the TimeSplitters series and the poorly received PS3-exclusive Haze.

According to a report on Videogamer.com, an unnamed inside source has told the site production of Star Wars: Battlefront III has been taken from Free Radical Design and placed in the hands of Oxford-based Call of Duty: World at War (PS2) developer Rebellion who also developed the 1999 sensation, Alien vs. Predator.

Gallery: Star Wars: Battlefront 3 - Original Renders

Star Wars Battlefront III appears on Amazon

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 9th 2008 at 6:30PM }

And, naturally, it was taken down. Thankfully, the internet is always there to catch the truth. However briefly, a listing for Star Wars Battlefront III was up on Amazon announcing that the game was coming to every platform under the sun including our beloved Xbox 360. Amazon was offering the game for pre-order with a release date of March 15, 2009. Something tells us that date is probably a placeholder.

With Battlefront series creators Pandemic currently hard at work on Lord of the Rings: Conquest for their new bosses at EA, the question remains as to who will develop the third installment of the series. Joystiq surmises that it will be UK studio Rebellion, which was responsible for Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for the PSP. Assuming the 2009 release date is even close to accurate, it looks like we'll have quite a while to find out.

[Via Joystq]

Star Wars Battlefront III could be heading to PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 8th 2008 at 8:15PM }

LucasArts has always been good about supporting Sony's handheld. In fact, they even graced the PSP with an exclusive Battlefront game, Renegade Squadron. In spite of the handheld's diminutive capabilities, the wizards at LucasArts managed to get 16-player infrastructure gameplay onto the system. The upcoming Force Unleashed reaffirms the commitment Lucas has towards the PSP.

A new listing on amazon.com shows Star Wars Battlefront III arriving on PSP, in addition to every other platform out there. With the last PSP Battlefront game being such a success, we can only hope that this listing turns out to be real. Guess we'll have to wait until E3.

[Via Joystiq]