Five reasons why it’s time for Star Wars to enter esports with Battlefront 3

It’s 2025, and the Star Wars franchise has yet to enter the esports scene, despite already appearing in other popular esports games. Since the series’ debut in 1977, the games have not been far behind the movies, showcasing other aspects of the Star Wars Universe by expanding upon main characters, introducing others, and offering alternate scenarios for iconic scenes.

But Star Wars games are also known for the games that weren’t meant to be. These include Star Wars: 1313, a bounty hunter game that was cancelled in 2013, a third entry in the Star Wars: Unleashed series, and more. Yet there’s one that stands out among the rest: Star Wars Battlefront 3. Part of a first/third-person-shooter series that appeared way back in 2004, a reboot came out in 2015, followed by a sequel in 2017.

Since then, fans have been yearning for a third entry, and they’ve been trying to make it known to Disney and EA by playing Battlefront 2 in 2025, making it one of the most-played games on Valve’s Steam network, with new reviews posted daily. Furthermore, if you use TikTok, there’s a chance you may see many variants of ‘Release Battlefront 3’ comments on unrelated videos. Clearly, there’s an audience for the third entry — but it could also serve Disney and EA well if they also focused some of their efforts on having Battlefront 3 as an esports game, if they decide to make the sequel. With this in mind, we’ve laid out five reasons why this could be a win-win situation for all parties.

Star Wars Battlefront has appeared in two iterations. The first was between 2004 and 2007, developed by Pandemic Studios. The game was nothing like what had come before, as many Star Wars games were either single-player focused or random grabs into other genres, such as Jedi Power Battles and Battle of Teras Kasi. Battlefront made its mark by featuring great design, great gameplay, and once the sequel arrived in 2005, fantastic space battles, especially in multiplayer.

Work was being done on a third entry, this time by Free Radical Design, known for the first-person-shooter series, TimeSplitters. Although leaks have appeared of early builds, there was a lot of potential, such as real-time ground-to-air battles, a story campaign, and much more. However, Battlefront 3 was cancelled, and the series lay dormant until 2015, when EA released a reboot, followed by a sequel in 2017. The graphics looked fantastic, and the gameplay harkened back to the original Battlefront series, but the sequel’s loot controversy hurt its reputation, even after EA admitted mistakes and attempted to fix the game. Eight years on since the sequel’s release, there has been no confirmation of a Battlefront 3, but fans are trying to make themselves heard that it’s desperately needed.

The fans have made their feelings known, but here are five reasons why it makes sense for everyone involved.

Although there’s been a Star Wars-themed season in Fortnite, it’s not a dedicated game and come June 8, the season will wrap up, and Fortnite will move onto another season, with the franchise disappearing once again. Already on streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, there have been thousands of viewers keeping track of prolific streamers discovering this current season. But imagine the esports scene embracing Battlefront 3 in similar circumstances. Instead of a game embracing Star Wars, it’s a long-awaited sequel that fans have been very vocal about.

Indeed, when a community wants to make itself known about a campaign, it does so through action. The latest stats for how many are playing Battlefront 2 on Steam is a great example. In May, there was a peak of around 18,000 players, up from 1,540 the previous month. It’s a figure that’s still climbing, which is impressive for a game released in 2017. An esports tournament would be wise to feature Battlefront 2 sometime this year, to at least gauge fan interest and see how the game would fare with players and viewers alike. This could give Disney and EA a great idea of how a Battlefront 3 could work, and with features inspired by games like Fortnite and VALORANT, such as a battle-royale mode.

Star Wars conventions have taken place for almost 50 years at this point, as a way to celebrate the original trilogy, the prequels, and current shows being made by Disney. But there’s never been dedicated esports events based on the franchise, which is something Battlefront 3 could help create. With the yearly ‘Celebration’ convention ongoing, another event that has players worldwide compete in the newest game, with appearances by actors from the movies and TV shows, could bring in new players and viewers for those who might not have had an interest in esports before. There could be a lot of potential here, and although they could do something now, having a new game like Battlefront 3 to start it off would make a much bigger impact than a previous entry from 2017.

Since Battlefront 2’s release in 2017 and subsequent DLC of new maps and characters, there have been a lot of new Star Wars shows and games released, as well as upcoming movies in development. For Battlefront 3, seeing new characters to play like The Mandalorian, Grogu, and Cassian Andor would bring massive appeal to new and existing players, and having them feature at esports tournaments would be a great way to advertise upcoming projects, such as the Mandalorian and Grogu film, premiering in 2026. Even new skins for existing characters, like an older Obi-Wan from his series that debuted in 2022, would also be a tempting proposal. Having all of this, as well as new gameplay tropes, perhaps some inspired by the cancelled Battlefront 3 in 2009, could make this sequel one to remember. 

For those unaware, when Battlefront 2 arrived in 2017, it came with a progression system that heavily relied on loot boxes and microtransactions. It was the only way to unlock Hero characters and upgrade your weapons. This approach was criticised by fans not long after the game’s release, with many seeing this approach as a form of gambling, something that Disney did not want to be associated with. EA quickly reversed its approach, announcing a series of changes and removing the loot boxes and microtransactions, but the damage had already been done. For Battlefront 3, it would be an ideal opportunity for EA to undo some of the damage. Instead, have everything unlocked, or offer battle passes similar to Fortnite. Tie-in limited events that could occur at esports tournaments, which may unlock exclusive characters and maps that viewers can join in with. It would at least restore this incarnation of Battlefront, with players remembering how the series came back with a bang, instead of leaving with a transactional whimper.

One of the iconic characters in the series, Yoda, is known for a certain quote. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” That rings true for the fans’ efforts in 2025 to make Battlefront 3 happen. It makes a lot of sense, too, as its gameplay seems perfectly suited to the esports scene. Combine that with the new shows and movies that have been announced and released since 2017’s Battlefront 2, and there’s potential for so much new content for players to get to grips with in countless multiplayer matches.

With up to five Star Wars games in development, such as a third entry in the Star Wars: Jedi series, an action-adventure game called Eclipse, and more, there’s no upcoming game that’s similar to Battlefront. At this point, it almost seems too obvious. Not only would fans be cheering and dancing like the Ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi if Battlefront 3 were to be confirmed, but it would also be a breath of fresh air for the esports scene. Instead of seeing characters like Emperor Palpatine and General Grievous in Fortnite, they’d be in their rightful place — as a Hero character across several maps in a new Battlefront entry. At this point, what does Disney and EA have to lose?