“May the Battlefront III be with you”: Star Wars fans push for a new game release

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Strange things are happening on the far edges of the galaxy, at least in the Star Wars gaming community. Fans of the franchise have banded together to pressure game developers to start work on Star Wars: Battlefront III. It began as a joke, exploded into memes, and unexpectedly ignited a surge of interest from the gaming community. Player numbers for the original Star Wars: Battlefront II have been climbing for days, and livestreams of the game are pulling in more viewers than ever. Even Streams Charts has taken notice of this curious disturbance in the Force.

So what happened?

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away… Electronic Arts released Star Wars: Battlefront II, a now-iconic shooter set in the Star Wars universe. When it launched in 2017, the game received a lukewarm reception from critics, earning a Metacritic score of 70/100. Some praised its engaging multiplayer, wide range of game modes, and weaponry. Others, however, slammed it for a lackluster single-player campaign and aggressive monetization tactics. A year after launch, EA admitted that Battlefront II had fallen short of sales expectations, with the infamous loot box controversy cited as a major factor. It seemed like the end of the road for Battlefront II, until the game’s loyal community stepped in to keep it alive.

Despite the early criticism and rocky launch, Star Wars fans are still happily playing Battlefront II years later. In May 2025, the creator of the YouTube channel Bombastic highlighted a growing trend: the number of active players on Battlefront II’s Steam page has been steadily climbing. He believes this renewed interest is proof that the fanbase still cares deeply about the game, and that it’s time for developers to move forward with Star Wars: Battlefront III.

This graph keeps going up. Every day more players pic.twitter.com/pceXTGiCAG

— Bombastic ?? (@StayBombastic) May 18, 2025

Bombastic posted a video calling to release Star Wars: Battlefront III, and soon began sharing posts on the topic across social media. His message quickly went viral, sparking a wave of fan action. Star Wars enthusiasts started writing to developers, signing petitions, and voicing their support across social media platforms and online forums. What began as a simple request soon evolved into a full-blown meme, one that not only attracted a passionate following, but also led to some surprising results.

Naturally, the viral rise of this movement wasn’t just the result of one YouTuber’s campaign, several other factors helped fan the flames. For one, interest in Star Wars content always gets a seasonal boost in May, thanks to the unofficial holiday celebrated on May 4th, Star Wars Day. Then there’s the renewed buzz around the franchise following the success of Andor's second season, one of the most praised series in the Star Wars franchise. And let’s not forget the major Star Wars crossover event in Fortnite, which only added to the momentum. Together, these elements created the perfect conditions for the Battlefront III meme to grow into something much larger — and much harder to ignore.

Star Wars: Battlefront II on livestreaming radar

The buzz around Star Wars: Battlefront III had a noticeable impact on Battlefront II’s performance in livestreaming. In May, the game’s peak viewership on Twitch climbed to 26,625 (+9113% to April stats!), its highest number in the last two years. On Kick, Star Wars: Battlefront II peaked at 16,400 viewers, a massive jump from the usual monthly average, which rarely tops a thousand. Twitch also saw a dramatic spike: the number of channels streaming the game at peak times jumped by 521% compared to typical days.

In May, several popular streamers on Twitch and Kick gave Star Wars: Battlefront II some spotlight, including well-known names like Félix ''xQc'' Lengyel, Saqib ''LIRIK'' Ali Zahid, Ferit ''wtcn'' Karakaya, and others. That said, most only spent a few hours playing, whether jumping into a quick multiplayer match or diving into the single-player campaign. Based on their stream titles, it looks like some broadcasters included Battlefront II as part of larger Star Wars marathons. Take Australian VTuber Gammainkk, for example, who has been exclusively playing Star Wars titles since early May.  

It’s tough to predict how long the hype around Star Wars: Battlefront III will last or if the Star Wars community will actually get a response from EA. Regardless, this story is a powerful reminder that, with enough determination and effort, you can sometimes achieve amazing results, especially when you have allies supporting you along the way.

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us”.