Why Star Wars Battlefront Isn't Actually a Battlefront

Imagine watching Star Wars Episode V. It's the Hoth battle, and the AT-ATs are devastating the rebel fortifications. Although their base is in ruins, Luke and the rest of the surviving rebels manage to get away. Then the movie stops, shudders, and snaps back to the beginning of the battle. The scene plays for a second time, then repeats again. The movie is caught in a loop, doomed to repeat forever. Welcome to the Star Wars Battlefront experience.

Spawn. Shoot. Die. Repeat.

There's no doubt that Battlefront looks and sounds just as good as the movies. And although it's initially fun and exciting, many players have complained that feels hollow and lacks longevity. This is because Battlefront lacks one crucial thing the movies were full of: meaning. The absence of any lasting meaning or purpose in Star Wars Battlefront is a huge disservice to fans of the series and any player of the game. In this way Star Wars Battlefront is not a "battlefront" at all.

The battlefront depicted in the Star Wars original trilogy was meaningful, dynamic, and cooperative. Luke and the rebels were fighting to defeat the Empire, and each victory was a step closer to that goal. Conversely, each setback was disheartening and significant. The battlefront also moved across the galaxy, but not in a random pattern. Planets were held, defended, and conquered. Ground was gained and lost. Fighting required allies, planning, and teamwork.

However, skirmishes in Star Wars Battlefront aren't meaningful and the front isn't dynamic. Each individual match is completely separate from all the others, and after each battle the galaxy resets to the way it was before. There's no cause to fight for, no reason to win except for a 1,000 point bonus. All planets are available and unconquered. And with no useful chat system, combat becomes individual, with players competing against their own team for kill counts and power-ups.

Now, there are plenty of successful games that are based on this very concept. Team Fortress 2 has been providing this same repetitive, round-based combat since 2007, and it's upcoming successor Overwatch looks beautiful and exciting. However, these games don't call themselves battlefronts. They call themselves "team shooters" and are more akin to sports, with their fast-paced rounds and professional esports leagues. They are also great for casual, relaxing fun. However, shouldn't Star Wars be more than a team shooter or casual fun? The Star Wars films have romance and character development mixed with the action. Few would have paid $10 to see just the action scenes of Star Wars on repeat, but EA expects $60+ for almost the same thing.

So how do other multiplayer games manage to create meaningful matches that go beyond bland casual play?

The easiest, although not story-driven, way to encourage teamwork and securing objectives (rather than kills) is to add a ranked mode with better communication features. This has proved immensely successful in MOBAs and shooters. However, this reinforces the “sport” idea and might not work well in Star Wars Battlefront.

Splatoon (Wii U) has a ranked mode, but combines it with monthly “Splatfests” – weekends where the Splatoon community divides into two teams and fights only certain maps. The winner of the Splatfest is mostly decided by the overall win percentage of the two teams, but the rewards are individual. Players are rewarded with rare items and rankings based on how many matches they completed and how well they did in them. Battlefront could easily replicate this with a “Battle of Hoth” (only Hoth maps) or a “Battle of Endor” (only Endor maps) community event.

Helldivers (PC, PS4) has a multiplayer which is very similar to an actual battlefront. It’s dynamic, with the mission locales moving between the Helldivers’ homeworld (Super Earth) and the homelands of the three hostile alien races. The available planets and systems are also directly affected by the community’s success at completing missions and objectives. Capital cities must be defended or attacked. These features make Helldivers’s multiplayer more realistic, where just like in war, each skirmish counts towards the greater effort.

Right now Star Wars Battlefront is more akin to a collection of gladiatorial arenas than an actual battlefront. While it is fine to have casual fun, it would have been great for DICE and EA to honor the Star Wars franchise by giving their players a reason to fight. Luke didn’t fight for fun, he fought to defeat the tyranny of the Empire. If only players had the option to do the same.

-Daniel

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