i went to gametrailers today and they posted an article where the head guy from free radical said star wars battlefront 3 was 99% done but was canned for 'financial reaons' - link below

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/40992/star-wars-battlefront-iii-was-99-done

my take, i don't know why the guy waited several years to tell us this, it seems kinda hard to believe that the game was that far into development without any official trailers or announcements being released. i'd love for disney to finish this up and release it on the current consoles but i doubt the game was that finished

so what are your thoughts? Do you think disney might finish the game up, or is it doomed to never be released?

edit: so there are some sources http://www.giantbomb.com/star-wars-battlefront-iii/61-24949/what-really-happened-to-battlefront-iii/35-544956/ by this duder on the forums that says the game was practically unplayable at the time and was a disaster

if anything its still nice to hear that battlefront 3 lives on in spirit

From the video that leaked out after the game was canned i would say 99% was a bit of a stretch, maybe like 70% since AI wasn't really finished and the engine was still poorly optimized, requiring a super computer to run at any sort of frame rate. real shame to see this game fall by the wayside though, this series in particular holds some fond memories for me of whole days wasted just playing local multiplayer with two PS2s.

In what world is it cheaper to can a 99% completed game than just put it out?

I'm saying he's stretching the truth to drum up interest, which happens with Battlefront 3 once a year.

it would look so outdated though if they did release it. It'd need a lot of work.

Well, that game was being developed by a company that no longer exists. I'm not expert on the matter, but I'm guessing that creates a sort of 'nightmare' scenario for obtaining what was done. I suppose, if they did have it, I would be more than happy to see Crytek UK (formally FreeRadical) finish what they started. But I'm not holding my breath.

On a side note, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Battlefront 3 in some form in the future. It was certainly one of the most profitable game franchises under that name, and I'm sure Disney knows that.

Fuuu-

I was so excited for Battlefront 3, and the fact that it keeps popping up for some reason, keeps reopening an old wound :(

@HatKing: Which is why I never understood why lucasarts decided not to bother with it, seemed like printing money to me. Guess it was the focus on Forced Unleashed.

@kermoosh said:

i went to gametrailers today and they posted an article where the head guy from free radical said star wars battlefront 3 was 99% done but was canned for 'financial reaons'

link below

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/40992/star-wars-battlefront-iii-was-99-done

my take, i don't know why the guy waited several years to tell us this, it seems kinda hard to believe that the game was that far into development without any official trailers or announcements being released. i'd love for disney to finish this up and release it on the current consoles but i doubt the game was that finished

so what are your thoughts? Do you think disney might finish the game up, or is it doomed to never be released?

Maybe the guy had to wait because of NDA he signed.

Anyhow, hopefully Disney will decide to polish and finish the game up. It's unfortunate, because both Battlefronts are games that I had lots of fun playing with friends and two of my favorite multiplayer games.

All leaked videos of this game looked fucking terrible, so maybe financial reasons weren't the whole reason. Granted, there was always the 'this is unfinished' warning, but still.

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

If a game is 99% done then someone, somewhere, gets it released. Why not when it's so close?

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

.

If he truly considers the stuff in the leaked videos to be "99% complete", that company was getting ready to release one shitty broken-ass game.

Or maybe, just maybe, he's exaggerating.

That sounds 99% true.

As a software engineer myself, the last 10 percent of every project seems to take 90% of the time. Being close to done and being done are pretty different things. That last bit of work to get everything working together is a bitch.

@Village_Guy said:

Fuuu-

I was so excited for Battlefront 3, and the fact that it keeps popping up for some reason, keeps reopening an old wound :(

i feel you dude. i've been getting disappointed by this franchise for years now

Ugh. I just bought Battlefront 2 on Steam and it still holds up!! God fucking dammit I feel like there are so many no brainer decisions that would be profitable yet game companies have little insight to what people actually want.

In what world is it cheaper to can a 99% completed game than just put it out?

Free Radical post-2002 is telling me about how awesome their almost complete game was. Is it the shit? Did they really rock it?

Someone get Johnny V on the phone.

Which game did someone find assets from Battlefront 3 in?

99% and no official announcement or showings at any shows or trailers? Yeah right.

Hoping they'll stop making Clone Wars stuff and rather make a Battlefront-type game based on whatever the new Star Wars movies are going to be about. Maybe the Disney takeover played a part in why Battlefront wasn't released in its current form. If they could explore more of what PlanetSide 2 is doing as opposed to what Battlefield is doing then that'd be great; it is way more engaging to see hundreds of players than 32 on each side of the conflict.

Everything I have read about the development of Battlefront III suggests that this was far from the case.

i went to gametrailers today and they posted an article where the head guy from free radical said star wars battlefront 3 was 99% done but was canned for 'financial reaons'

link below

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/40992/star-wars-battlefront-iii-was-99-done

my take, i don't know why the guy waited several years to tell us this, it seems kinda hard to believe that the game was that far into development without any official trailers or announcements being released. i'd love for disney to finish this up and release it on the current consoles but i doubt the game was that finished

so what are your thoughts? Do you think disney might finish the game up, or is it doomed to never be released?

@kermoosh: well this guy on the forums who claims to have been a play tester for the game would like to say otherwise

http://www.giantbomb.com/star-wars-battlefront-iii/61-24949/what-really-happened-to-battlefront-iii/35-544956/

@L44 said:

Which game did someone find assets from Battlefront 3 in?

@L44: raccoon city

so it is implied Lucasarts may have tried to go to slant six after free radical died

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

Nooo, they will probably hire a hundred "analysts" (i.e guys in suits who do too much drugs and have no idea of anything ever) and claim that the "target audience" is too small.

Then, they will claim that the game needs more "mass appeal" and a "broader audience". Then they will make it more like call of duty, but worse. Tack on a cinematic campaign while you´re there. Then they will spend a hundred million dollars on marketing while telling the world that this game has to "exceed their expectations" of fucking selling 5 Million copies on the first DAY.

They will then waste even more money by hiring even more guys in suits who do way too much dugs and have no idea what they´re doing. Then they will probably release it 4 years too late, to a market that never existed on the same day a new assasins creed game is released. But yeah, I´m with you- they SHOULD make this game.

99% done content wise maybe, not actually finished and ready to ship

I'm 99% sure the 99% number is bullshit. The only possible reason for canning a game that is 99% done is if the game is pure garbage and they don't want to sully the franchise.

@Superfriend said:

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

Nooo, they will probably hire a hundred "analysts" (i.e guys in suits who do too much drugs and have no idea of anything ever) and claim that the "target audience" is too small.

Then, they will claim that the game needs more "mass appeal" and a "broader audience". Then they will make it more like call of duty, but worse. Tack on a cinematic campaign while you´re there. Then they will spend a hundred million dollars on marketing while telling the world that this game has to "exceed their expectations" of fucking selling 5 Million copies on the first DAY.

They will then waste even more money by hiring even more guys in suits who do way too much dugs and have no idea what they´re doing. Then they will probably release it 4 years too late, to a market that never existed on the same day a new assasins creed game is released. But yeah, I´m with you- they SHOULD make this game.

: (

@connerthekewlkid: interesting take on the subject. thanks for link, i added it to my first comment

I don't even know why he would say anything at all.

@Superfriend said:

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

Nooo, they will probably hire a hundred "analysts" (i.e guys in suits who do too much drugs and have no idea of anything ever) and claim that the "target audience" is too small.

Then, they will claim that the game needs more "mass appeal" and a "broader audience". Then they will make it more like call of duty, but worse. Tack on a cinematic campaign while you´re there. Then they will spend a hundred million dollars on marketing while telling the world that this game has to "exceed their expectations" of fucking selling 5 Million copies on the first DAY.

They will then waste even more money by hiring even more guys in suits who do way too much dugs and have no idea what they´re doing. Then they will probably release it 4 years too late, to a market that never existed on the same day a new assasins creed game is released. But yeah, I´m with you- they SHOULD make this game.

or, you know, it would've cost too much to finish (despite what he says no way was it 99% done, not even) for what it would've gotten

but nope blame it on suits who want to make everything call of duty, that's surely a great solution

be realistic, nostalgia alone does not a good games market make.

@Animasta said:

or, you know, it would've cost too much to finish (despite what he says no way was it 99% done, not even) for what it would've gotten

but nope blame it on suits who want to make everything call of duty, that's surely a great solution

be realistic, nostalgia alone does not a good games market make.

I am being pretty realistic here. The games industry is ruled by fear at the moment. And in some cases, this fear is highly unreasonable.

Would this sell as a 60 dollar boxed multiplatform product with a tacked on singleplayer to justify the price? Hell no. But as a PC only downloadable game with proper mod and dedicated server support- fuck yeah this would sell.

The problem these days is that the industry laments "bloated development" costs, when it is those same people who bloat the costs in the first place by having no vision other than "it has to make a lot of money".

It´s probably too late now for Battlefront, but this could have sold reeeeally well 2 or 3 years ago, reasonably priced as a download. Even on consoles. I still see a possibility for success on PC because: nostalgia, reverence for Star Wars, people accepting steam and download only games, the battlefield like gameplay that is still great and Battlefield 3 being over a year old. So I guess people would buy this over weird shit like Ravaged. When we´ve reached a point where every game has to sell a couple million copies to be considered a success, then maybe it´s time to think about the process and if every single game really has to cost bazillions of dollars. Indie PC download market says: No.

@Superfriend said:

@Animasta said:

or, you know, it would've cost too much to finish (despite what he says no way was it 99% done, not even) for what it would've gotten

but nope blame it on suits who want to make everything call of duty, that's surely a great solution

be realistic, nostalgia alone does not a good games market make.

I am being pretty realistic here. The games industry is ruled by fear at the moment. And in some cases, this fear is highly unreasonable.

Would this sell as a 60 dollar boxed multiplatform product with a tacked on singleplayer to justify the price? Hell no. But as a PC only downloadable game with proper mod and dedicated server support- fuck yeah this would sell.

The problem these days is that the industry laments "bloated development" costs, when it is those same people who bloat the costs in the first place by having no vision other than "it has to make a lot of money".

It´s probably too late now for Battlefront, but this could have sold reeeeally well 2 or 3 years ago, reasonably priced as a download. Even on consoles. I still see a possibility for success on PC because: nostalgia, reverence for Star Wars, people accepting steam and download only games, the battlefield like gameplay that is still great and Battlefield 3 being over a year old. So I guess people would buy this over weird shit like Ravaged. When we´ve reached a point where every game has to sell a couple million copies to be considered a success, then maybe it´s time to think about the process and if every single game really has to cost bazillions of dollars. Indie PC download market says: No.

im not saying it wanst lucasarts fault the game was cancelled but literally every 3 months they try to get attention and say they were the victims and Lucasarts wanted the game to be cancelled

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/723496/free-radical-head-battlefront-3-canceled-due-to-psychopaths-at-lucasarts/

@SamStrife said:

In what world is it cheaper to can a 99% completed game than just put it out?

I'm saying he's stretching the truth to drum up interest, which happens with Battlefront 3 once a year.

Maybe if the quality was perceived as not being worthy of the brand it is representing via licensing the star wars license. Damaging a major IP through a inferior release is another cost.

Or maybe a lump sum payment was due shortly after release in association with the licensing scheme?

Fuck Lucas.

Damn it I want a new Battlefront.

Disney is focused on social games for Lucas projects so who knows...

@Superfriend said:

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

Nooo, they will probably hire a hundred "analysts" (i.e guys in suits who do too much drugs and have no idea of anything ever) and claim that the "target audience" is too small.

Then, they will claim that the game needs more "mass appeal" and a "broader audience". Then they will make it more like call of duty, but worse. Tack on a cinematic campaign while you´re there. Then they will spend a hundred million dollars on marketing while telling the world that this game has to "exceed their expectations" of fucking selling 5 Million copies on the first DAY.

They will then waste even more money by hiring even more guys in suits who do way too much dugs and have no idea what they´re doing. Then they will probably release it 4 years too late, to a market that never existed on the same day a new assasins creed game is released. But yeah, I´m with you- they SHOULD make this game.

"We want the Call of Duty audience"

I call bullshit. Maybe content wise, but from the leaks the game looked extremely rough.

I also don't understand people's fascination with this game. I thought the Battlefront games were okay but they were just poor versions of Battlefield. People should be asking for more than that, because a legit BF esque game would be amazing.

The developer had pedigree but also released Haze... so yeah.

sometimes that last bit is the most important

That's a real shame. I'm pretty sure there are enough diehard Battlefront fans that would love to finish up the code if Free Radical decided to release the source code.

99% based off the leaked footage? That's a far stretch. It looked like an improvement over Battlefront 2, but more along the lines of 60-75% completed.

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

I would love another Battlefront game. Hell I am just looking for a good new Star Wars game. I am getting tired of replaying KOTOR and Jedi Academy to get my Star Wars fix. Now if this story had said that a new X-Wing Alliance was 99% done, I would give all of my current and future earnings to give that to the world. It's a damn shame no one has made a great Star Wars space sim in a while.

I can see this game getting a long way to being finished, and then getting canned for financial reasons, but I don't quite buy his claim that it was 99% done. I see a few people here are mentioning that the leaked videos of the game made it look bad, but videos of an unfinished game are going to make it look, well, unfinished.

@MetalGearSunny said:

@punkxblaze said:

JUST FUCKING MAKE IT. IT PRINTS MONEY.

If the game was as terrible as some people were saying I'd prefer them to have not made it. I'd have my good memories of that franchise rather than see it come back with a sequel that turns out to be terrible.

@SamStrife said:

In what world is it cheaper to can a 99% completed game than just put it out?

In this world, actually.