Star Wars: Battlefront 2 beta awakens in October

Electronic Arts have drawn back the veil on the launch date for the multiplayer beta of their latest licensed tie-in, Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Set to meld together iconic set-pieces from all eight films in a long-awaited single-player campaign and a plentiful array of online modes, the first-person-shooter sequel will strive to right its predecessor’s much-vaunted wrongs, not least by ditching the 2015 original’s scorned season pass model and throwing a character class system into the mixture to boot.

Takeaways:

• Come October 6^th, Battlefront II’s online beta will arrive on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC – via the Origin store – for every farm-raised hero, charming scoundrel and nerfherder alike to consume in all its far-flung, space operatic glory over three days.
• As well as experiencing the expansive Naboo map showcased at E3 – with its Clones, Droids and magnificently over-powered Heroes – in Galactic Assault, fans can take flight too via the newly-announced Starfighter Assault mode, where EA promise “a variety of the most memorable Starfighters” from the hit sci-fi series.
• But for “Han Shot First”- proclaiming, Holiday Special-defending devotees who can’t wait until October 6^th for all of that content, pre-ordering the full game in the interim will offer two-day early beta access from October 4^th, not to mention a rare “Yoda’s Epic Lightsaber Mastery” Star Card which practically sells itself on its name alone…

While holding off until approximately a month before Battlefront II’’s full-scale launch to trial its online component’s technical strengths and weaknesses might seem a risky gamble on EA’s part at first – not to mention an irksome delaying tactic in the eyes of fans who couldn’t attend E3 last month – there’s likely method behind the publisher’s madness.

After all, rather than showcasing a glitch-ridden, unfinished build of their foray into a galaxy far, far away in the next few weeks, the beta’s October launch should give the development team the chance to truly impress players with a near-complete version, yet at the same gathering data as vital as the Death Star plans to allow for tweaks before release.

Keep your eyes locked on D-pad Joy in the coming weeks to stay on target with all the latest Battlefront II news and views, ahead of both its multiplayer beta on October 6^th-9^th and its retail launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and as an Xbox One X ‘Enhanced’ title this November 17^th.