Star Wars Battlefront 3 Was 99 Percent Done According to Former Dev

For many who have played Star Wars games for many years, the fabled Star Wars Battlefront 3 is a story about a game that never was. The Star Wars Battlefront series was a highly popular pair of games made by Pandemic for the PlayStation 2, original Xbox, and PC back in the early 2000s. After the release and great reception of the second game, fans were hoping to see a third installment that would up the ante for what the series had done up till then. But it never came to be, due to a number of factors. But a tweet from a former Free Radical developer may have given Star Wars fans more insight into what happened back then, and why players may have been robbed of something very special.

Michael Barclay was a former developer on Star Wars Battlefront 3, which at the time was being made by Free Radical. The game was in development for a while until it was suddenly canceled back in 2008. While there was a lot of speculation about why the game was canceled and never saw the light of day, various statements floated around about what happened during its development, including missed milestones and conflict behind the scenes. Michael responded to a tweet shared around Twitter by various game developers, looking to open up a conversation about games that “got away” from them, to which he opened up about the canceled Star Wars Battlefront 3.

I feel like it’s been long enough now to come out and say Star Wars Battlefront III was gonnae be legit incredible and the fact it got cancelled 2 yards from the finish line is an absolute crime. Gamers don’t know what they were robbed of. https://t.co/zZUu8JR3iV

— Michael Barclay (@MotleyGrue) April 16, 2023

In his tweet, he talked about his disappointment about the game being canceled. “I feel like it’s been long enough now to come out and say Star Wars Battlefront III was gonna be legit incredible and the fact it got canceled 2 yards from the finish line is an absolute crime. Gamers don’t know what they were robbed of…” Michael then went on to respond to a few people in the replies to his statement, many of which were saddened at the reminder of what could’ve been.

Part of the cancellation of the game many blame on the sale of Lucasfilm by George Lucas to the Walt Disney Company, which is also when other Star Wars video game projects that were planned or in development were also canceled. This includes video games based on Darth Maul called Battle of the Sith Lords, a squad game called Star Wars: First Assault, and the bounty hunter-centric game Star Wars 1313.

For those that don’t know, one of the big features that were going to be a highlight of Star Wars Battlefront 3 was the seamless transition from planetary combat to space combat. Meaning players would be able to fly a starship from a planet’s surface up to the atmosphere around the planet, where the battles would continue in space. Footage of the game leaked out back in 2013, with alpha gameplay showcasing many new aspects that were planned for the sequel.

The leaked footage of Star Wars Battlefront 3 has circulated online for years, with many Star Wars fans debating on whether the game would have been positively received. We’ll never know at this point. As for Michael Barclay, since his time working on the ill-fated Star Wars Battlefront 3, he has gone on with his career in game development, working for companies like Naughty Dog as a lead designer.

What do you think of the extra details about Star Wars Battlefront 3? Are you disappointed we didn’t get to see this game finished? Post your thoughts about it all in the comments down below!