Star Wars Battlefront

The people demand it: A proper multiplayer game set in the Star Wars universe. Galaxies tried, but there were few stars, and even fewer wars. A mod for Battlefield 1942 (Galactic Conquest) let players take on the empire, but it had limited features and player support.

LucasArts plans to strike back with Star Wars: Battlefront (working title), which turns the idea of Galactic Conquest into a full-fledged commercial release. In development at Pandemic Studios (Battlezone, Full Spectrum Warrior), the game will let 32-player groups duke it out across 15 environments. Using material from all the Star Wars movies, you'll be able to fight on planets such as Hoth, Endor, Yavin, Genosis, and Naboo. Players will be able to pilot more than 10 ground and air vehicles, including AT-STs, X-Wings, and speeder bikes—all of which was promised in Star Wars Galaxies but still hasn't been delivered.

You'll be choosing sides with 20 different soldier types from four different armies from the classic trilogy (Empire versus the Rebel Alliance) and the new films (the Clone Army and Battle Droids). The game is currently scheduled to ship in fall 2004. Stay tuned for next issue, when we'll have a whole lot more to tell you.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.