While EA's Star Wars Battlefront series has had a turbulent reception over the years, fans warmed up to them over time. Star Wars Battlefront II especially received much praise after it bounced back from its microtransaction-plagued launch. Although there hasn't been much news on EA pursuing a third Battlefront game, there's still much potential for the ever-elusive third entry in the series. For example, it could venture into a part of the Star Wars timeline that has seen a fair share of great games.
The Old Galactic Republic era, recently confirmed as being canon, has been a long-time favorite of Star Wars fans. Games like Knights of the Old Republic have introduced a lot of fans to one of the most thematically interesting eras in the Star Wars timeline, especially given how much it contrasts the other war-focused eras. On that point, however, the lack of a major military conflict during this era might make it seem like a poor choice for a Battlefront game, but fans have proven that to be anything but true.
The Old Republic Era Establishes the Battle for Balance in the Force
While many Star Wars fans associate the Clone Wars with the Sith and Jedi, the Old Republic Era was a far more prominent time for the Force. This era saw the Old Republic establish itself on Coruscant and form close ties with the Jedi Order. At the same time, tensions would begin to grow between the Old Republic and other galactic groups, such as the Mandalorians. This would all culminate in a period of time called the Hundred-Year Darkness, directly leading to the formation of the Sith.
This Hundred-Year Darkness would be defined by a splinter group of the Jedi Order breaking off and forming the Sith. The Hundred-Year Darkness is where a lot of the conflict of the Old Republic Era comes from. While it's not as much of a traditional war as the other eras, there's still plenty that could work within the context of a Battlefront game. Rather than there being two major factions at war, the Old Republic Era is more-so defined by several warring factions, like the Jedi Order, the Sith, the Old Republic, and the Mandalorians.
These conflicts don't exactly have the same scale as some of the wars in other Star Wars eras, but their impact makes the Hundred-Year Darkness such a crucial and fascinating time in Star Wars history. There's also a lot of room to create interesting conflicts and battles since the Old Republic era hasn't been as thoroughly explored as others in the Star Wars canon. In short, the potential for this era makes it the perfect setting for a Battlefront game.
The Factions at War During the Old Republic Era are Perfect for Battlefront
There are plenty of prominent factions from the Old Republic Era that would bring something exciting and new to the Battlefront series. The Mandalorians, for example, have a wide variety of unique equipment that would make them stand out from the visually similar Clone Army. The Sith Empire, while having some traditional troops, would, of course, be mostly made up of lightsaber-wielding Sith. That would also stand true for the Jedi, who operated independently of the Old Republic.
The sheer number of factions would also make for a unique game, as previous Star Wars Battlefront games typically only featured two factions per era. While there were some locations that featured unique factions, the Old Republic era would have a unique level of variety that hasn't been seen in a Star Wars Battlefront game before. This could also be a great opportunity to introduce three-way battles to the series.
Fans Have Already Proven that the Old Republic Era Works with Battlefront
The modding communities for the Star Wars Battlefront games are incredibly dedicated. There is a plethora of custom levels, factions, and even game modes that reach across every corner of the Star Wars canon. There's especially a solid amount of Old Republic mods for 2005's Star Wars Battlefront II. One of the most notable ones is The Old Republic Remastered, adding units for both the Old Republic and the Sith Empire.
Another mod that focuses more-so on the part of the Old Republic era that fans know is Star Wars Battlefront II: KOTR. As the name implies, this mod focuses much more on the characters and locations from Knights of the Old Republic. The KOTR mod and The Old Republic Remastered are both works in progress, but they prove that this era of Star Wars can absolutely work within the context of the Battlefront series.
There's also a solid collection of reskins for EA's Star Wars Battlefront II that adds Jedi and Sith such as Darth Revan and the jawless Darth Malak from the Old Republic era to the game. While these are simply just reskin mods, it shows that there are enough notable figures from this era to fill out a hero unit roster for a future game. These kinds of mods for the older Battlefront games are proof that the Old Republic era is absolutely something fans want to see in the Battlefront series.