The recent revelation of the almost-completed Star Wars Battlefront 3 has sent fans into mourning, as they learn how close they were to enjoying the game. The heartbreak began with a tweet from Michael Barclay, a former Star Wars Battlefront 3 developer and current Naughty Dog designer, who decided to share a “one that got away” project.
Barclay’s tweet stated, “I feel like it’s been long enough now to come out and say Star Wars Battlefront 3 was [gonna] be legit incredible and the fact it got cancelled 2 yards from the finish line is an absolute crime.” This simple sentence sent Star Wars Battlefront fans into a frenzy as they shared their heartbreak for the Star Wars game that could have been.
The story was quickly picked up by IGN, causing the news to spread further and devastating even more Star Wars fans. Several fans shared their disappointment on Twitter, with one fan writing, “This one hurts,” and another lamenting, “Star Wars games have had some of the cruelest cancellations in the history of the gaming industry.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 was in development with Timesplitters studio Free Radical between 2006 and 2008 before its cancellation by LucasArts. There has been much debate among the developers who once worked on the game, with Free Radical co-founder Steve Ellis claiming in 2012 that the game was “99% done” (via GameSpot). However, a former LucasArts employee disputed this, stating, “A generous estimate would be 75 percent of a mediocre game.
As fans come to terms with this disheartening news, they can look forward to upcoming Star Wars games that might help fill the void left by the cancellation of Battlefront 3. For now, the gaming community will mourn the loss of what could have been an incredible addition to the Star Wars Battlefront series.
