Were we too hard on EA? That’s the ultimate question, isn’t it?
Now, before you get the torches out and sprint at me like I’m Homer Simpson dumping the pig poo in the lake, please read this first and see if you agree with my take on it.
Now, under EA (developed or published), we’ve had the following games (modern era):
- Star Wars Battlefront (2015)
- Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
- Star Wars: Squadrons (2020)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes (2015, mobile)
Let’s discuss some of these games. Immediately, I would like to fling Squadrons into the trashcan, then send it into space, never to be seen again. That game was truly awful. Battlefront’s flying mechanics (which were secondary to the core gameplay) were better. That’s how shambolic it was. So I’d like to completely write off this game.
Squadrons had absolutely nothing to offer either. The view from the ships wasn’t great, the depth of it was poor, and it felt terribly boring after just an hour. It felt more like a game that belonged on a modern arcade machine. The rest, though? Let’s discuss.
The Battlefront series. A remake of the 2004 and 2005 games of the same name. Both of these games were subject to extreme controversy. The first lacked a campaign and other features to make the game memorable.
The second was a complete storm from release to the point Disney almost had to step in. EA was ready to make this game unnecessarily predatory with microtransactions. If EA had its way with this game as they initially intended, it would’ve been really bad. Thankfully, though, they managed to turn it around.
Once they began to update the game, microtransactions were scrapped, updates came to the levelling system, new modes, characters, heroes, and more. In the end, Battlefront 2 turned out to be an amazing video game. The Co-op mode they released was so much fun. It’s a shame we’re unlikely to get a third, especially if they continued the trajectory they were on with the second.
I could harp on here all day about the Jedi series, including Fallen Order and Survivor, developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, but I don’t need to. Both games are masterpieces offering every kid’s dream of wielding a lightsaber, with the ability to customize it alongside a fantastic storyline.
EA didn’t directly make the game, but they published it. They allowed Respawn to create an incredible single-player experience with no added microtransactions. Just a full single-player experience that is full from minute one.
We also have Galaxy of Heroes. I mean, it’s a mobile game that’s still going from 2015. That’s all you need to know to see how successful it has been as a mobile game. I’ve been playing the game daily since around 2023, originally playing it upon release back in Winter 2015. Capital Games, despite their shortcomings, do a decent job of updating the game regularly and changing everything over.
So, we refer back to that ultimate question. Were EA as bad as they seemed at the time when they gatekept the Star Wars license for gaming? I think we were.
Look at what’s happened elsewhere outside of EA’s realm. Too many promised games with cinematic trailers and no updates on them in years. Whether it’s Knights of the Old Republic’s remake, Quantic Dream’s game, a new Old Republic-style game, a pod-racing game that nobody asked for, and more. There’s a lot of seemingly good stuff in the pipeline, but with little to nothing in years on any of these games. At least EA was consistent in dropping games.
Let’s talk about Outlaws for a moment. Ubisoft 101, it seems, right? I bought this game on day one, and I still feel robbed. I struggled to like this game. In fact, I despised it. Ubisoft put out a shell of their usual formula and slapped a Star Wars skin over it. It didn’t work, it was never going to work, I’m glad it failed. I truly and honestly mean that. It further proves why EA was at least more careful with their games and provided updates when it didn’t work out. Under EA, when something stumbled, it was corrected and supported, not abandoned and left to fade.
Since the license opened up, we’ve had more announcements than actual releases, more cinematic trailers than playable experiences, and far less certainty about what’s truly coming next. EA was the lesser evil. Far too many companies have games in the works, and we’re probably 2-3 years away from one of the decent ones coming. I mean, even the Knights of the Old Republic remake is all over the place. It’s not going well since the license with EA ended.
