Category Archives: Star Wars Games

ROGUE ONE: SCARIF EXPANSION ARRIVES FOR BATTLEFRONT – INTERVIEW

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Via Starwars.com:

STARWARS.COM CHECKS IN WITH LUCASFILM’S MATT FILLBRANDT ABOUT THE MAKING OF BATTLEFRONT’S NEW ROGUE ONE DLC.

Rogue One: Scarif, the final expansion for Star Wars Battlefront, arrived yesterday and it’s something of a landmark release. It’s closing out Battlefront with content from the first stand-alone Star Wars movie, coming later this month, including a new planet: its namesake, Scarif, a beach-world unlike anything previously seen in Star Wars. It’s pushing the game forward, with new weapons and characters and experiences. (Let me just say — you have not blasted a Rebel until you’ve done so with Krennic’s revolver-style DT-29.) And it’s a product of the continued collaboration across companies and departments ensuring a previously unheard-of Star Wars authenticity, from the sight of walkers in the distance to the detailing on Jyn’s vest. So, yes, landmark. But the road traveled here was not an easy one.

“Making a game based on film content that is still in development is a very difficult undertaking,” says Matt Fillbrandt, executive producer on the Lucasfilm games team. “Especially when you are coming out ahead of the film and want to make sure that you get as many details as possible accurate.” That meant filmmakers, the Lucasfilm games team, asset management, and the developers at EA DICE all working together on Star Wars elements that were essentially brand new. That meant they’d really be introducing the world to a new Star Wars locale.

That meant they had to get it right.

“Our Lucasfilm games production team, based at Lucasfilm’s office in San Francisco, got very early access to 2D and 3D reference,” Fillbrandt explains. “The Lucasfilm Digital Asset Management team is a critical resource for us to tap into for early looks at what characters, vehicles, and weapons look like from the movie. We would send as much 2D and 3D reference as we could to the team at DICE very early in development, so they could start working on formulating a design and building assets. We were also very lucky to get time with the ILM team that was working on the Scarif battle sequences in parallel with our development. We were able to see early layouts for how the location on Scarif was going to be shot out, so we could be as accurate as possible without contradicting anything.”

Click below to read the full article.

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Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Update adds Millennium Falcon, TIE Fighters and Ships!

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STAR WARS™: GALAXY OF HEROES NOW FEATURES ICONIC STAR WARS™ SHIPS IN ALL-NEW UPDATE

Players Can Now Master the Star Wars™ Galaxy with Legendary Ships from All Eras

Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes, the #1 grossing Star Wars mobile game of all time, today announced the addition of ships. This thrilling gameplay addition adds an entirely new level of excitement and strategy to the game. Experienced players can now engage in brand new space combat and collect iconic Star Wars ships from all over the Star Wars universe, including TIE fighters and the legendary Millennium Falcon. The Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes’ ships update is available free* to download on the App StoreSM and Google Play™.

The Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes ships update gives players the ability to:

Assemble fleets from all over the Star Wars universe
Create the best combinations to maximize their ship’s effectiveness in battle
Strategically equip ships with a crew of heroes and bolster them with a Fleet Commander
Build and upgrade iconic Capital Ships, such as Grand Moff Tarkin’s Star Destroyer, the Executrix
Battle opponents in the PvP Fleet Arena to earn Ship Blueprints and unlock rare items

Throughout December, Star Wars fans can also look forward to the game’s arsenal of 100+ unique characters including Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and K-2SO from Rogue One™: A Star Wars™ Story in theaters this December. Players will also have additional Squad Tournament events, giving them the chance to earn unique rewards and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character shards.

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes continues to evolve with the deep content and characters available across the Star Wars universe. Join the conversation by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, watching on YouTube or learn more on the blog.

*Network fees may apply. In-app purchases available

Amy Hennig On New Visceral Games

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Via Glixel.com:

The walls of video game director Amy Hennig’s writing room are full of secrets. There are photographs, movie stills, drawings, storyboards, and a few thousand neon Post-it notes filled with tiny scrawl. A giant felt board holds pinned rows of colorful cards, each labelled with a different scene title. “I need to see it all at once, laid out before me,” she says, “and then step in when I want to zero in on a particular scene or level.”

Hennig is hard at work on Electronic Arts’ untitled new Star Wars game, due in 2018. Her desk at EA’s campus in Redwood Shores, California, just outside the writing room, is covered in multi-colored chaos: action figures, stuffed toys, DVDs, shot glasses, and half-filled coffee cups in various degrees of putrefaction. Most of it is Star Wars-related, including a Sphero BB-8, a bust of Luke Skywalker, an 18-inch statue of Obi-wan Kenobi, and a complete set of The Empire Strikes Back drinking glasses from an Eighties Burger King promotion.

At 52, Hennig is one of the most recognizable names in gaming. She has spent the last 27 years working as a writer and creative director for companies like EA, Crystal Dynamics, and Naughty Dog, where she co-created Uncharted, one of the most acclaimed video game franchises of all time. She grew up wanting to make movies, but instead ended up making games that were as good as movies, with a visionary, deeply humanistic approach that’s helped raise standards for the entire industry.

When people talk about the cinematic arrival of video games, Uncharted is perhaps the first example. The Los Angeles Times once suggested Uncharted wouldn’t look out of place on a cinema screen. The Boston Globe said Uncharted 2 looked as if it had been “shot by a team of cinematographers”. But it’s really the emotional depth of the characters in Uncharted – still a rarity in video games – that has helped make the games so popular. And this is what Hennig excels at. She co-wrote and co-directed the first three Uncharted games, and was two years into development on the last game in the series, Uncharted 4, when she left Naughty Dog in 2014 after 11 years – a highly publicized and contentious move that prompted rumors she was forced out because of creative differences with studio management.

Uncharted 4 came out in May this year. And, although Hennig’s name appears in the credits, she’s barely played it. “If you break up with your spouse and they get remarried,” she says, “you don’t want to see photos of the happy couple on Facebook, do you?” She pauses, then adds: “When you’re pulling these characters out of yourself, it’s kind of twisted, in a way, to see them in the hands of someone else.

Click below to read the full article.

Play ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ on PSVR December 6th

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Via Engadget.com:

Electronic Arts teased out its Star Wars Battlefront VR experience way back in March, and now we know when it’s actually exiting hyperspace. Come December 6th, you’ll be able to strap on your PlayStation VR headset, jump into a virtual X-Wing cockpit and hopefully destroy the Death Star. Remember, this will be a free download for anyone who owns Battlefront.

And because today marks the game’s first birthday, EA has seen fit to drop a glut of details about the latest, and final, map pack, Rogue One: Scarif — also out on December 6th. As the name suggests, it brings in a quartet of maps from the upcoming movie, two new heroes (Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic) and a new “multi-stage game mode with space and ground combat.” Sounds just a bit like the Battle Station mode from the recent Death Star pack, if you ask me.

Speaking of which, starting today and running through the 20th, you can play the previously released Bespin, Death Star and Outer Rim packs for free, and earn four times the experience you usually would. That is, if you can pull yourself away from the free Overwatch weekend taking place starting tomorrow, too. Decisions, decisions.

Star Wars: Force Arena Announced

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Lead your squad and master the arena in
Star Wars™: Force Arena

Netmarble joins forces with Lucasfilm Ltd. for a completely new Star Wars™ experience on mobile

The real-time PvP game launches pre-registration today to players around the world

SEOUL, Korea – November 17, 2016 – Netmarble Games Corp., the fastest-growing mobile game company in Asia, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd, today announced the development of Star Wars™: Force Arena, a real-time PvP game based on the globally popular Star Wars franchise. The free-to-play real-time PvP game optimized for the mobile environment will feature over 65 iconic characters, vehicles, and units upon its global launch.

Star Wars: Force Arena takes place within the Star Wars universe and allows players to choose between the Rebellion or the Empire and command a squad of units to battle against each other in real-time. Players can build squads by recruiting characters with different skill and attack abilities with character cards that can be acquired after each battle and upgraded to strengthen the squad.

Dominating your opponents in the arena will grant top leaderboard placement for rewards, special characters, and bonus items. Strategy and skill will be put to the test as players can build customized decks of characters that feature legendary duos, such as Han Solo and Chewbacca, which boost effectiveness in combat. Leveraging this duo advantage effectively could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Compete with your favorite iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Ezra Bridger, and more. In Star Wars: Force Arena players can form unique squads providing seemingly endless ways to play. The game also has various modes of play to choose from, such as single player, training, and real-time 1v1 or 2v2 multiplayer.

“We are thrilled to announce Star Wars: Force Arena, a real-time PvP mobile game based on the globally popular Star Wars franchise,” said Seungwon Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Netmarble Games. “We hope to bring the same level of excitement to the mobile arena that Star Wars has given its fans around the world. Sign-up for pre-registration today, and be notified when the game goes live as we kick-off a whole new adrenaline-fueled Star Wars adventure together.“

To kick off the game’s pre-registration, all players that sign up will be rewarded crystals that can be used as in-game currency to purchase items and strengthen characters within the game. Depending on the number of players that pre-register, more crystals will be given to players for a duration of two weeks after the official global launch. 250 crystals will be rewarded if more than 10,000 players sign up, 700 crystals for more than 100,000 and 1,400 crystals will be given to all players if more than a million sign up for pre-registration. Players can sign up for pre-registration at the game’s official website (www.starwarsforcearena.com).

Key Features Include:

BATTLE and join forces with other players from around the globe in real-time 1v1 or 2v2 synchronous, PvP arena matches.

LEAD a team of over 65 iconic Star Wars characters and vehicles upon global launch including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Ezra Bridger

COLLECT and upgrade your favorite characters to create the ideal Rebel or Imperial squad while leveraging powerful character duos that boost your effectiveness in battle.

COMPETE to earn rewards, special characters and bonus items by participating in events.

Star Wars: Force Arena will be available on both the App Store and Google Play. For more information on the game, visit the official website at www.starwarsforcearena.com.

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Battlefront News and Updates

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Via Universityherald.com:

Gamers all around are well familiar that games will inevitably need some tweaks and refinements from time to time. As such, fans of the highly-acclaimed action-shooter video game, “Star Wars Battlefront,” will be pleased to hear the EA DICE has confirmed that it will be releasing some needed updates in the near future along with some more new content, according to sources.

It was recently reported that the popular video game, “Star Wars Battlefront,” will be getting some needed updates sometime soon, iDigital Times reported. The source took note that the balance update will be dropping just before the “Rogue One” DLC and other new contents arrive in December.

To be more precise, iDigital Times cited a tweet by Electronic Arts’ DICE Associate Design Director Dennis Brännvall, who stated that their team is well on their way to delivering the balance patch along with the game’s movie tie-in “Rogue One” DLC and their very first VR experience.

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However, iDigital Times is of the opinion that current players of “Star Wars Battlefront” might have a mixed reactions to this. On one hand, the source noted that it might be good since the game currently feels unplayable due to the number of glitches and bugs that have stifled certain game modes. On the other hand, hardocre fans who have endured the gameplay loop might not welcome the new changes that will come this holiday.

On top of the balance update that will refine and address certain issues in “Star Wars Battlefront,” one thing for sure is that fans will be getting some additional content once the “Rogue One” DLC hits this coming holidays.

It was reported that fans of the game will be delighted to hear that the “Rogue One” DLC will add a new map (Scarif) on its Season Pass and also put players in an exclusive virtual reality mission via the PSVR, Vinereport has learned. It was also mentioned that the “Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission” will take place at the same time period as of its prequel.

It seems that fans are in for a great ride once the “Rogue One” DLC and the balance update arrives on the “Star Wars Battlefront” in December.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 Coming Fall 2017

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Via Gamespot.com:

The previously announced Star Wars Battlefront 2 will come out during fall 2017, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen strongly suggested during an earnings call today.

He said it’s coming “a year from now,” according to Polygon. He added, “We’re working very hard on making sure that is an extremely deep and engaging offering.”

The game will have “bigger and better worlds,” Jorgensen said during a previous call. He added that it will make use of content from “the new movies,” though he didn’t name any outright. The first Battlefront only featured content from the original Star Wars trilogy.

EA plans to release one new Star Wars game every year for the next three to four years.

That EA is making a Battlefront sequel is no surprise. The first game has shipped 14 million copies, which was ahead of the company’s expectations for the shooter.

DICE is developing Star Wars Battlefront 2 alongside another EA developer, Motive Studios.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is not the only Star Wars project currently in the works at EA. Titanfall developer Respawn is making a third-person action adventure game, while Dead Space studio is making a Star Wars game, too, under the leadership of Uncharted director Amy Hennig.

Fans Petition For ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ TV Series On Netflix

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Via Slashfilm.com:

Just yesterday, we called your attention to a Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer for the new expansion pack Knights of the Eternal Throne. It’s an awesome cinematic trailer that shows the potential for Star Wars movies that can exist without having direct ties to any of the characters, events and locations that we’re more familiar with from the primary Star Wars saga films. It turns out some other fans agree, but they want to see these stories play out in a different medium.

A new petition from Change.org (where all the most important issues are championed) has a group of Star Wars fans asking that Disney and Lucasfilm turn Star Wars: The Old Republic into a TV series on Netflix. Find out more below.

Here’s what the Star Wars The Old Republic TV series petition says (via Change.org):

It’s no surprise to anyone that the Star Wars franchise has experienced a massive resurgence lately, with The Force Awakens released last year and this year with the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, it’s about time that the stories from over 3,000 years before the Battle of Yavin be told to both new and old fans of the franchise.

The Knights of the Republic series of games as well as the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic serve as the main vehicles to tell stories of characters such as Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Bastila Shan, Darth Traya, Meetra Surik, Darth Malgus, Satele Shan, and the list goes on. The popularity of this era in Star Wars history is felt throughout the fanbase, and I feel it would do a massive disservice to us if these stories weren’t told.

Why Netflix was chosen was because of the wealth of great content they have produced over the years, such as Narcos, House of Cards, and especially everything that Marvel has done and is still currently working on. Not only that, but Netflix can serve as a platform to tell these stories as they were meant to be portrayed: dark, foreboding, and a touch on the mature side. This can also give us fans our healthy dose of Star Wars while we’re waiting on the new movies or the new season of Star Wars Rebels.

The Old Republic era is a pivotal point in the Star Wars timeline because that’s where everything changed, from the Jedi Civil War and the fall of Revan, the First Jedi Purge, and an omnipresent darkness that not only watched the chaos from afar but also kick-started the downfall. Our fanbase would love to see this on Netflix, and I feel that you would enjoy creating and adapting these stories as much as we would enjoy watching them.

First, we’re just glad that they’re asking and not demanding like some other unnecessarily abrasive petitions that hit the internet. Second, this is something that plenty of fans have been wanting for years. The Knights of the Old Republic video game series has been a favorite of Star Wars fans for awhile, and many have been hoping to see some of those stories end up in a movie or TV show. Star Wars: The Old Republic has only increased that desire with the expansion of the character roster and events in the Star Wars universe that fall outside what we’ve already seen unfold.

This petition (which you can support here) probably won’t have a huge impact on what Disney and Lucasfilm do in the future, mostly because they already have plans in development for the next few years of Star Wars projects. Plus, even though there have been talks with ABC and Lucasfilm about a new Star Wars TVseries, the network has also indicated that won’t happening anytime soon. There’s a chance that Netflix could prove to be a great home for a Star Wars TV series, though, especially with the new deal Disney struck with Netflix for their movies (including Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm).

For now, we’ll just be patient for any future Star Wars TV series that might be in the works.

‘Star Wars Battlefront’ Is The Most Frustrating Game I Can’t Stop Playing

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Via thefederalist.com:

‘Battlefront’ succeeds as a fun, engaging immersive game that scratches the Star Wars itch. But little maddening and avoidable issues hold back what could have been a great game.

Death Star, “Star Wars Battlefront’s” highly anticipated third DLC, arrived last week. This latest addition to the Star Wars first-person shooter (FPS) asks players to either help destroy or defend the Death Star.

“Possibly the most iconic location in the Star Wars universe was released nearly a year after the game launched as paid DLC?” Only a cynic might ask this question—one who views the game as a half-finished money-grab that quickly fragmented its player base by offering several paid map packs.

A New Hope
Electronic Arts released the highly-anticipated “Star Wars Battlefront” in November 2015 in an obvious attempt to feed off “The Force Awakens” hype. While not a great FPS in pure gaming terms, “Battlefront” has proven itself a perfect option for gamers who may not have the time (or desire) to endlessly level-up or collect the best weapons and other murder-assisting doodads. This accessibility gives even terrible players like your friend Keith the chance to play as Nien Nunb without fear of being a complete embarrassment.

Even better for more grown-up gamers, the console version doesn’t feature team text or voice chat, like many online games. Casual players can enjoy a match without constant, vulgar reminders of how terrible they are or what’s been done to their mother recently. It’s like they made the game for married gamers and gamers with kids.

More importantly, “Battlefront” captures the look and sounds of the Star Wars universe better than anything this side of the movies. Facing down AT-ATs in Walker Assault, the multiplayer mode, feels as daunting as it did on Hoth. Drop into a Supremacy match on the Survivors of Endor map, and the smell of charred Ewok practically emanates from the screen. Retrieving the payload in Cargo brings back that classic game of capture the flag from “Return of the Jedi.” Even the lighter moments of the game exhibit the scale and beauty.

“Battlefront” succeeds as a fun, engaging, and thoroughly immersive game that scratches the Star Wars itch. But little maddening and avoidable issues hold back what could have easily been a great game.

Click below to read the full article.

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6 REASONS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC‘S LATEST EXPANSION

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Via Starwars.com:

THE HIT MMORPG’S CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR TAKE STARWARS.COM INSIDE THE HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED EXPANSION.

In December 2011, over one million subscribers — including this author, who bought her very first gaming PC just to play — began to explore a galaxy far, far away in BioWare’s MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The game is set almost 4,000 years before the events of the Star Wars movies, and acts as a loose continuation to the popular Knights of the Old Republic games. In The Old Republic, you star in your own cinematic, story driven adventure; you have allies and companions that join you in fighting against powerful adversaries and make light or dark side decisions, while the fate of the galaxy hangs on your choices. It’s addictive, super fun, and one of the most enthralling ways to immerse yourself in Star Wars. Any time an expansion is released, it’s a cause for celebration — and Knights of the Eternal Throne, the latest digital expansion, coming December 2, 2016 (November 29 with early access), is no exception. This year, BioWare raised the bar on excitement by offering players the chance to fight to rule the galaxy. StarWars.com spoke to BioWare’s The Old Republic creative director Charles Boyd and senior marketing director DebySue Wolfcale about Knights of the Eternal Throne and came away with six reasons to get very excited — along with some concept art and an exclusive screenshot!

Click below to read the full article.

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‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ – Game To Be Free On EA Access By December

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Via Gamenguide.com:

EA Access, Electronic Arts’ very own exclusive game service alongside Origin, has certain titles that are always free to play in their EA Access Vault so long as you have a membership to it. If you’re a “Star Wars” fan, good news: “Star Wars: Battlefront” will be added to the Vault by the end of this year.

This is good news for anyone who still hasn’t bought “Star Wars: Battlefront” just yet when it first came out last year, but it won’t do for anyone who already has the game and all its expansion DLCs already. The base game will become free, but if you don’t own the expansions yet, then you’ll have to buy each of them separately. If you do cancel your subscription to EA Access, you’ll still be able to pick up where you left off as long as you have your own copy of the game.

This move to make “Star Wars: Battlefront” free on EA Access might be because the studio is due for “Star Wars: Battlefront 2” soon, perhaps as early as next year. There’s at least one more expansion DLC for “Star Wars: Battlefront” on the docket, one which allows you to play as characters from the upcoming “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” such as rebel protagonist Jyn Erso.

The upcoming Scarif DLC for “Star Wars: Battlefront” is rumored to come out around the same time the movie releases this December in a cross-promotional move. It’s also rumored to be featuring a tropical planet, a first in the whole “Star Wars” franchise.

As for other games on EA Access, “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst” and “EA Sports UFC 2” is also going to be made free on the service, according to Games Radar. This is alongside some old PopCap games as well, including “Bejeweled 2” and “Bejeweled 3.” As for more news on “Star Wars: Battlefront” and its sequel, we’ll update you with more information as we get them.

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