With a release date penciled in for November, the hype for Star Wars Battlefront is beginning to reach fever pitch. We already know DICE is scanning actual film props for Star Wars Battlefront and has made it clear Star Wars Battlefront is more of a reboot than a continuation of Pandemic's PS2 instalment. In the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, the team sits down with design director Niklas Fegraeus to discuss what it was like to bring the 'new' Star Wars saga to life...
Official Xbox Magazine: What are you hoping to convey to potential fans with Battlefront’s first gameplay reveal?
Niklas Fegraeus: Basically this vision we have for the game, which is to let players create their own Star Wars battle fantasies. And the way we want to do that is to make sure that the world we create is super authentic and super immersive. it’s important for us that we pay respects to the universe and create it right.
OXM: And this player creation will include mixing and matching iconic vehicles, settings and characters in custom matches?
NF: Yeah, of course... i mean, we have lots of things that you can use. an analogy that i use is, when you played with your Star Wars toys, you created your own battles and your own fantasies with those...this is essentially the same thing, but now created in a videogame environment.
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OXM: This franchise still has quite a following from its previous entries. Will longtime Battlefront fans recognise any specific series dna in this reboot?
NF: We’re rebuilding the franchise and creating what we believe and what we want to create, but yes, of course, it’s important that Battlefront has DNA... key things that make it Battlefront. one of the things fans ask is, “can I play both first-person and third-person views?” And our answer is yes, you can freely choose between what view you want to play with. also, you can spawn in as Darth Vader or Boba Fett and a selection of other heroes, and just become like a boss on the battlefield.
OXM: How does that feature work? How will fans actually get to play as those iconic characters?
NF: Well, it has variations to it that depend on game modes and so on. But you can get it through a power-up system... when you find the hero power-up, that is when you can make your choice. You basically have one life to use all that power; you get to try to turn the tide and win for your team and become a beacon of hope for everyone.
OXM: Would you say this version of Battlefront will be immediately recognisable as a signature DICE multiplayer experience?
NF: Oh yeah, we have a big pedigree and a lot of experience with making these big action shooters, and I think it’s going to shine through in this game as well. We are using a lot of the experience gained from making Battlefield games and applying that knowledge to craft Battlefront. It’s going to shine through especially, I think, where we are using the Frostbite technology, which gives us so much awesome stuff with physically-based rendering and photogrammetry... really creating these super-immersive worlds that I think DICE is known for.
OXM: Does this mean we can expect some epic frostbite-driven destruction within the Star Wars universe?
NF: Yeah, you are going to see a lot of awesome features that you will associate with frostbite, absolutely.
OXM: Will Battlefront leverage the Xbox One in any ways that are specific to Microsoft’s hardware? Will there be any Kinect integration or will we maybe feel those approaching AT-ATs rumbling through the impulse triggers?
NF: (Laughs) Yeah, we have nothing to announce at this time about features like that. We will have more to say as time goes go on.
The latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, with Star Wars Battlefront on the cover, is out now. You can buy a copy here or subscribe to future issues.
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