Star Wars Battlefront 3 reportedly in the works at DICE and Respawn

A third Star Wars: Battlefront is reportedly being made by two of Electronic Arts’ biggest studios: DICE, which developed the 2015 and 2017 Battlefront games and the Battlefield series, and Respawn, the team behind Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi. The report comes from Variety, citing multiple sources, as Eurogamer summarises. EA itself has not announced anything.

What we actually know

• Confirmed: in a memo to staff, EA executives said Respawn and DICE are collaborating on a new project. The memo did not name it.
• Reported: Variety’s sources say that project is Battlefront 3.
• Not known: platforms, release timing, a trailer, or whether it is a direct sequel to Battlefront II (2017).

The memo landed in the same week EA laid off about 400 people, shut BioWare and cancelled several projects, which we covered in EA closes BioWare. Rumours had been building for days: Electronic Gaming Monthly (via Giant Bomb) reported that Disney was looking for a studio for Battlefront 3, naming DICE and Bungie as options, and Wardogs studio head Joe Brammer then posted on X that DICE and Respawn were working on it together.

Why fans will be cautious

The last game, Star Wars Battlefront II, launched in 2017 to a rough reception, mainly because its loot boxes tied playable heroes and powers to random chance. The backlash helped push governments in several countries to treat loot boxes as gambling. DICE later removed them, reworked progression and supported the game until its last major update in 2020, turning player sentiment around. EA reportedly cancelled a Battlefront II follow-up in 2022.

If the report is right, Battlefront 3 would be the first game in the series published by the new EA, which was acquired this year by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion leveraged buyout.

Until EA confirms the game, treat details as rumour. For the hardware side of big multiplayer shooters, see our gaming headset buying guide and gaming monitor guide.