Star Wars Battlefront 2 is one of the industry’s most anticipated upcoming games, period. There’s no caveat to that. The previous game from EA and DICE was an excellent multiplayer-only shooter that captured the sights and sounds of a galaxy far, far away like never before. Now this sequel ups the production values, increases the content, and finally reintroduces a single player campaign that’s set to deliver on big thrills and narrative excitement.
But what about VR?
What We Know
Okay so we don’t know that Battlefront 2 is going to have VR support, but we “know” it will. The evidence is piling up really fast and E3 isn’t even here yet. For starters, the developers that created the fantastic X-Wing VR Mission from the first Battlefront took to Twitter to let fans know they’re working on “something awesome in Battlefront II.” That statement wasn’t limited to just VR content, mind you, but it’s a fair assumption given the context. Check.
Then in an interview with Eurogamer, a developer said he wasn’t willing to talk about VR in Battlefront II in that interview simply because “that’s a story for another day…” which is about as cryptic as you can get without denying something. Check.
Then the real kicker is when PlayStation itself (the previous X-Wing VR Mission was a PSVR-exclusive) sent out an email to its Danish fans that has the PSVR logo specifically listed on the product image. Woops. Sony eventually came out and said the email was “incorrect” and that “nothing has been announced” for PSVR support in Battlefront II. Again, not denying it. Check.
What We Expect at E3
Now at E3 2017 the ball is in EA and Sony’s court. The game is already confirmed to be playable at the EA Play event (we’ll be going hands-on with the non-VR version this coming weekend) and it follows that perhaps if there is VR support this time around it will be playable at some point during E3 as well. Sony is having another big showcase this year (similar to its showcase of content last year) and the game could very well show up in its VR form at that event on Monday.
We also expect it to be talked about during Sony’s press conference since it will likely be an exclusive again, although this time perhaps only timed like Batman Arkham VR and Resident Evil 7: BIohazard. We won’t have to wait long to find out.
E3 Crystal Ball
That covers what’s likely, now let’s dip our toes into the unlikely (but nice-to-haves.) My bold prediction for Battlefront II at E3 2017 is that instead of just being a single mission we’ll get much deeper VR support. I don’t think the entire game will be playable in VR, but perhaps a handful of missions and flight challenge maps. If we’re really lucky it might even get multiplayer VR support for some of the upcoming space battles. That would be excellent.
What do you think is going on with Battlefront II’s (non-confirmed) VR support? Regardless of how it’s implemented, Battlefront II is a game that absolutely needs VR support. Let us know down in the comments below!
