Even though Star Wars Battlefront was a huge success with a sequel already confirmed, one of the biggest complaints from fans and critics was the absence of a single player campaign.  The campaign mode has been part of the series since the original PS2 and Xbox Battlefront games, so many people wondered why such a big component of the game was cut out.

During EA’s Investor Day briefing, EA studio boss Patrick Soderlund said that it was a decision by EA to cut the campaign in order for the game to be released close to The Force Awakens theatrical release.  Soderlund said “It was a conscious decision we made due to time and being able to launch the game side-by-side with the movie that came out to get the strongest impact.”

Soderlund also ensured people that they did listen to the criticisms from fans, and have hinted that Battlefront 2 will have a single player and/or co-op campaign.  Even though people were upset about the lack of a campaign, and they are free to feel that way, it makes sense that EA timed the release for The Force Awakens.  During last summer and fall we had a huge marketing campaign for Star Wars, one that appealed to young and old fans.  Having Battlefront come out before The Force Awakens and having the game focus only on the original trilogy was a great way to introduce new fans and ignite nostalgia for the old ones.  Now that The Force Awakens is a success, hopefully more time can be put into new content for Battlefront 2.

Back in April last year, General Manager of DICE Patrick Bach responded to the criticism by saying “the game is first and foremost a multiplayer game.  That’s the game we wanted to create – to recreate the battles of the original trilogy.”  There were single player missions in the game that helped teach the basics of the game, but fans felt it wasn’t enough to replace a campaign.  Even The Force Awakens star John Boyega tweeted EA about the campaign.

@EAStarWars yeah thought it was great! But definitely leaves you wanting to engage within a narrative. Can I visit your base in the uk?

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) March 3, 2016

While the missions do teach the player the basics of the game, having some sort of narrative would not only draw players in, but would have also led to more positive word of mouth about the game.  Even if they kept the same missions, having some sort of narrative to connect the missions would have pleased a lot of fans.  Hopefully Star Wars Battlefront 2 will have the epic campaign Star Wars fans have been waiting for.