Electronic Arts has officially confirmed that Respawn and DICE will make a new game together, and Variety reports that this game is Star Wars Battlefront 3. EA’s own words are narrower: its October 21 letter to staff mentions “a future project” and never says “Star Wars” or “Battlefront”. There is no title, platform list, release window or trailer yet.
The confirmation came in the same letter that announced the closure of BioWare and the end of the next Mass Effect. That post covers the layoffs. This one covers what the letter means for Battlefront.
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What EA officially said about Respawn and DICE
The letter is from EA presidents Cam Weber and David Tinson, and EA published it on its newsroom as “Building EA’s Next Chapter”. The relevant passage, from the section on EA’s shooters business, reads:
“Battlefield 6 was a great success, and we learned a lot from the launch and the live service. We’re going to take those learnings, balance our resources, and leverage the technology to deliver a shooter portfolio that unlocks growth. In addition to our future Battlefield titles, we’ll be bringing together our Respawn and DICE studios to collaborate on a future project that will help us achieve that ambition. We can’t wait to share more when the time comes.”
The project sits in the shooter portfolio, next to Battlefield and Apex Legends, and it involves both studios. Neither EA nor Lucasfilm had made any public statement naming it when we checked on October 22 at 12:30 UTC.
Tatooine in Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), DICE's last Battlefront. Image: Electronic Arts / DICE / Lucasfilm
Is it Star Wars Battlefront 3? What Variety reports
Variety’s article went up at 10:05 a.m. PT on October 21. It quotes the letter and adds: “While they did not identify the project, multiple sources confirmed that this is ‘Star Wars: Battlefront 3’ for Lucasfilm.” Polygon, Eurogamer, VGC and Push Square have all followed with Variety’s report. None of them has added a source of its own.
DICE made both modern Battlefront games. Respawn made the Star Wars Jedi games and Apex Legends, which grew out of a Titanfall 3 project that turned into a battle royale. But the Star Wars link is a report, not an announcement, until EA or Lucasfilm says so.
- Official (EA): Respawn and DICE will “collaborate on a future project” in EA’s shooters business.
- Reported (Variety, multiple unnamed sources): the project is Star Wars Battlefront 3 for Lucasfilm.
- Not announced: title, platforms, release date, trailer, or whether it is a direct sequel to Battlefront II.
How the Battlefront 3 reports built up
The rumors started a few days earlier. On October 19, Jeff Grubb read out a gossip column from Electronic Gaming Monthly on Giant Bomb’s Game Mess Mornings. The column said Lucasfilm was looking for a studio for a third Battlefront and named DICE and Bungie as possible candidates. Later that day, Wardogs studio head Joe Brammer posted on X: “DICE and from what I’ve heard Respawn are working on Battlefront 3.” Variety’s report backs up the Respawn and DICE version.
The series has been here before. In November 2021, VGC relayed Tom Henderson’s report that EA had turned down a DICE pitch for Battlefront 3 because the Star Wars licence was too expensive. Two months later, Eurogamer reported that there were no plans for a sequel and that DICE was focusing fully on Battlefield.
Apex Legends, the Respawn shooter EA says it will keep investing in. Image: Electronic Arts / Respawn
Why Battlefront II still matters
Star Wars Battlefront II launched in November 2017. Its loot boxes caused a huge backlash, and DICE later removed them and rebuilt the progression system. Eurogamer notes that the last major update came in 2020. The game never went away, though. VGC reports that community campaigns on Reddit and TikTok pushed it to its highest Steam player counts yet in 2025.
The Respawn and DICE project is separate from EA’s other Star Wars work. The letter says the next Star Wars Jedi game, the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is still one of EA’s “two huge launches coming up”, alongside Marvel’s Iron Man.
What’s next
EA says only that it “can’t wait to share more when the time comes”, and it has given no date. The letter mentions a Global Town Hall in November, but that meeting is for employees. Until EA or Lucasfilm names the game, treat “Battlefront 3” as Variety’s well-sourced report rather than an official announcement. DICE’s latest shooter, Battlefield 6, recently had a free weekend. We will update this story when there is an official reveal.
Sources: EA, “Building EA’s Next Chapter” (Oct 21, 2026); Variety; Eurogamer; VGC; Joe Brammer on X.
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Featured image: Electronic Arts / DICE
