Star Wars Battlefront caused quite a stir when new details and in-game footage were released during last month's Star Wars Celebration. One big question fans of the series still have is exactly how many planets and maps the game will include at launch.
Now EA has been kind enough to provide an answer in a blog post detailing the creation of a brand new planet for the game. Star Wars Battlefront will launch with 12 maps across Endor, Tatooine, Hoth and Sullust, a planet mentioned in Return of the Jedi but never before seen.
The planet is being created from scratch by the developers at DICE in collaboration with Lucasfilm. Sullust is a volcanic environment that also serves as an Imperial construction facility.
"We wanted to build on the existing lore that the planet Sullust had an Imperial presence," the blog post from DICE reads. "And this idea proved to become a major influence in the design of the planet for the game. We studied the Death Star's architecture and material to inspire ways in which we could incorporate the structures, almost as if the same architect who designed the Death Star left their mark on the structures that stand across the surface of Sullust in Star Wars Battlefront."
Various maps on Sullust will have different themes. One may focus on the planet's lava, while another map will adopt a more Death Star, Imperial construction theme. Certain game modes will also be tailored to specific maps. For example, some maps will be made specifically for the 20 versus 20 Walker Assault gametype, while other maps will be more close quarters combat with smaller team sizes.
Star Wars Battlefront may be launching with four planets and 12 maps, but within a few weeks of release it will have another planet and new maps in the form of Jakku, a planet taken straight from the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Those who pre-order Battlefront will be able to download and play the new Jakku maps on Dec 1. Everybody else will have to wait until Dec. 8 to download the new maps for free.
An interesting tidbit dropped but not elaborated on in the blog post is the idea of "Star Wars Battlefront Missions." We have no idea what these are, but the post seems to imply that their inclusion will mix up the maps enough for it to seem like there actually more than 12 maps. We will have to wait for more details on what these "Missions" might entail, but in the mean time you can read up on our list of Star Wars game franchises EA should look at bringing back next.
Star Wars Battlefront releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC Nov. 17.
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