No Episode VII Content in Battlefront Because Disney Won't Let EA "Break Canon"

[Steven Bogos]

No Episode VII Content in Battlefront Because Disney Won't Let EA "Break Canon"

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EA says the reason they can't put The Force Awakens characters into Battlefront is because it would break canon.

When no Episode VII content will ever feature in the game [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/star%20wars%20battlefront?os=%20star%20wars%20battlefront]. Now, EA games has revealed the reason. No, it's not so you have to buy Battlefront 2 for your TFW fix, but because Disney gave them strict instructions to not break canon.

"On Star Wars, the one thing that we are adhering to, and I think this is part of our arrangement with Lucas and Disney, is you can't make a game in Star Wars that violates the canon of Star Wars," CFO Blake Jorgensen said.

"Our current Battlefront game is all based on the historical Star Wars canon, which is 30 years before the most recent movie, that will limit our ability to bring some new content into that."

Basically, he's saying that you can't have Finn and Rey fighting alongside Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

"But more to come there obviously," he continued. "We're trying to stay tightly connected to the Star Wars beat for future movies and we'll obviously in future Star Wars games be able to tap the new characters and vehicles and so forth. But in our current game and for that manner the DLC associated with that current game obviously we'll have to be careful that we don't violate the canon."

So there you go. Battlefront's lack-of-content is so that it doesn't violate canon. Now if you'll excuse me I'll go back to recreating my favorite canon moment from the classic Star Wars: the time when Han Solo fought Emperor Palpatine on Endor.

Source: Video Gamer [http://www.videogamer.com/ps4/nextgen_battlefront/news/eas_future_star_wars_games_could_make_use_of_the_force_awakens_characters.html]

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[Sniper Team 4]

The snark in that last sentence is perfect. Well done.

I can kind of understand where they're coming from. Still, it is a bit of a weak excuse. If there was more to the game itself, then this wouldn't sting so bad, but...or even if there was more to do on Jakku.

Of course, I would gladly trade in Finn, Rey, Kylo and the rest if they would just fix the freaking trophies for the game!

 

[Fox12]

I wonder who's bullshitting us, EA or Disney? George Lucas didn't care about the Star Wars canon, and Disney threw it out.

I think it's all just part of pushing that nostalgia hype, while also giving fans a reason to purchase the next game. That's probably the same reason they cut out the clone wars era. I can't help but feel like this was all carefully orchestrated around building up the new movie.

 

[Micah Weil]

...sadly, I believe it.
The Mouse is a bit...special about this sort of thing.

 

[kekkres]

I wonder who's bullshitting us, EA or Disney? George Lucas didn't care about the Star Wars canon, and Disney threw it out.

I think it's all just part of pushing that nostalgia hype, while also giving fans a reason to purchase the next game. That's probably the same reason they cut out the clone wars era. I can't help but feel like this was all carefully orchestrated around building up the new movie.

people who are mad ad disney cutting out the EU always confused me, because while yeah there was some really awesome stuff in there, there was a TON of absolute garbage, much of which was conflicting, because the earlier days of the EUs lifespan had no quality control at all.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Not entirely sure how not allowing TFA content is the cause of Battlefront's lack of content. They could have prequel content, or, I dont know, more Galactic Civil War content.

I am disapponted for sure, though I guess it gives me hope for Battlefront 2?

The old Battlefront 2, what with its wealth of content, was only possible because maybe 50 or 60 percent of the game was copy and pasted from the original. I'm not so sure how people nowadays would respond to that, but if Battlefront 2 by EA just ports over Battlefront 2015's shtick and makes the other half of the game New Era, then I would be one happy stormtrooper.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

As far as excuses go, this is shit. It makes absolutely no sense. Any additional content does not have to break canon unless you make it break canon. Weak, flaccid, disappointing, unnecessary, need a thesaurus, bullshit. There may be some source of truth to be found here if you look hard enough, but not enough to compute. No wonder they aren't in creative roles. The world will look back on this moment and laugh. Or cry. Perhaps both. Unless there is some important knowledge i am missing on how this Battlefront game must work that may explain this.

 

[The Enquirer]

As far as excuses go, this is shit. It makes absolutely no sense. Any additional content does not have to break canon unless you make it break canon. Weak, flaccid, disappointing, unnecessary, need a thesaurus, bullshit. There may be some source of truth to be found here if you look hard enough, but not enough to compute. No wonder they aren't in creative roles. The world will look back on this moment and laugh. Or cry. Perhaps both. Unless there is some important knowledge i am missing on how this Battlefront game must work that may explain this.

See, this is exactly what I don't get. In all previous entries into the series they simply had eras. Unless you played the all hero mode or mods you weren't going to have Windu fighting against Boba Fett. Just add a separate era wherein the characters from TFA are fighting. It's really that simple. So I'll also call bullshit on that.

Also the burn in that last sentence in the article is on the level Anakin got on Mustafar.

 

[Jingle Fett]

That's no excuse for lack of content, please. You know how Battlefront 1 and 2 handled that sort of thing? By simply not allowing contradicting factions. It was only ever Republic vs CIS or Rebels vs Empire. All new Battlefront has to do is have Resistance vs New Order and it's problem solved.

However...It's quite possible that Disney doesn't want EA (or anyone other than the Star Wars committee) "making new stories". I have a feeling what we're seeing here is actually EA giving Disney the finger. Games being unable to break canon is a pretty big restriction, especially since games are inherently different from movies and thus need a bit of freedom to do their own thing. Stories that work in movies don't necessarily work for games and vice versa. The Star Wars canon committee could come up with all the canon stories they want but these don't necessarily make for good games.

Here's what I'm now thinking. Could be that EA originally planned on the game having a ton of TFA content but then Disney changed its mind. EA had to cancel all the TFA content and because meeting the deadline was so crucial (to Disney the game is purely part of the marketing campaign for the movie), EA was forced to release the gutted down game. And now that their reputation has suffered for it, EA is giving Disney the finger (while still keeping the door open for future projects).

 

[Aerosteam]

So is the next game going to still have 4 planets?

 

[immortalfrieza]

I wonder who's bullshitting us, EA or Disney? George Lucas didn't care about the Star Wars canon, and Disney threw it out.

I think it's all just part of pushing that nostalgia hype, while also giving fans a reason to purchase the next game. That's probably the same reason they cut out the clone wars era. I can't help but feel like this was all carefully orchestrated around building up the new movie.

people who are mad ad disney cutting out the EU always confused me, because while yeah there was some really awesome stuff in there, there was a TON of absolute garbage, much of which was conflicting, because the earlier days of the EUs lifespan had no quality control at all.

It's probably because even all the contradictory garbage in the EU put together didn't make removing the EU any less of a painful thing. Most Star Wars fans know and understand why Disney killed the EU, namely so that Disney doesn't have to navigate a maze of EU canon to be able to make stories from the point they got it forward, that doesn't mean the fans have to like it.

Also, most likely your answer is both of them are bullshitting us. Disney doesn't particularly care what EA does with Star Wars in their games (they wouldn't have made an exclusivity deal with EA if they did) and EA doesn't care enough to give the fans what they actually want, which is why they delivered a subpar game in the first place.

 

[Something Amyss]

Gotta disagree with that last sentence. The best part of the OT was when Han Solo rammed Slave 1 with the Falcon, killing Boba Fett but surviving because he'd just activated shields.

 

[Something Amyss]

So is the next game going to still have 4 planets?

Five.

...though one of them will be a pre-order bonus....

 

[Brian Tams]

Oh noes, looks like EA will just have to sell another 60$ game (of course, don't forget the flab 80$ deluxe edition and the 120$ fuck you collectors edition!) with next to no content in order for it to be cannon.

How absolutely awful for them!

 

[Fox12]

I wonder who's bullshitting us, EA or Disney? George Lucas didn't care about the Star Wars canon, and Disney threw it out.

I think it's all just part of pushing that nostalgia hype, while also giving fans a reason to purchase the next game. That's probably the same reason they cut out the clone wars era. I can't help but feel like this was all carefully orchestrated around building up the new movie.

people who are mad ad disney cutting out the EU always confused me, because while yeah there was some really awesome stuff in there, there was a TON of absolute garbage, much of which was conflicting, because the earlier days of the EUs lifespan had no quality control at all.

I agree, but that's partly my point. George Lucas didn't care about the extended universe. He didn't even understand it, as many a dismayed fanboy later learned. Neither does a multimedia conglomerate like Disney. So this whole thing about protecting the sanctity of the lore is nonsense.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Oh noes, looks like EA will just have to sell another 60$ game (of course, don't forget the flab 80$ deluxe edition and the 120$ fuck you collectors edition!) with next to no content in order for it to be cannon.

How absolutely awful for them!

Indeed. Why sell 20$ DLC when you can sell that DLC as an entirely new game for 60-120$! I'm surprised EA hadn't thought of this before.

 

[Karadalis]

Seems to me that this is a clear case of disney not wanting to let EA play with its toys, it can have the "old" star wars but keep your hands of the new "disney" star wars (including princess main character)..

Maybe they arent that happy with EAs exclusivity deal after all and now try to sabotage EA however they can.

The mouse is known for shady legal dealings after all.

 

[RealRT]

What a crock of shit. Did they seriously expect anyone to believe this?

 

[Rastrelly]

Waitwaitwaitwait... So that monopoly with Vader, Palpatine, young Luke and SUDDENLY Finn was absolutely canon, but adding third trilogy content to this new Battleshite - it's not canon? Disney and/or EA, stop keeping everyone for morons.