This is what a new quality in multiplayer shooters from the Star Wars universe was supposed to look like. Battlefront III would have let players fight on planets and in space at the same time

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The original Star Wars: Battlefront games, released in 2004 and 2005, were very popular and well-received. But the series declined in quality over the years, and it wasn’t until 2015 that a major new installment, a reboot also called Star Wars: Battlefront, was released.

While fans waited, the team was already developing a third game in the series, aiming for a new and innovative experience. Surprisingly, despite being cancelled, this abandoned project sparked the idea for something completely different. Let’s go back to the start to understand how it all unfolded.

Ambitious project

Development of Star Wars: Battlefront III began in 2006. LucasArts, the company behind the Star Wars franchise, partnered with Free Radical Design, known for their popular Time Splitters shooting games. The developers were excited to start, and originally aimed to release the game in October 2008. LucasArts was so happy with how things were progressing that, in December 2007, they tentatively agreed to a deal for a fourth game in the series, Star Wars: Battlefront IV.

Originally, Star Wars: Battlefront III was planned as a first-person shooter taking place in the Star Wars galaxy. Similar to the earlier Battlefront games, the focus would have been on online multiplayer battles, though it also would have included a single-player story mode.

The game promised massive, simultaneous battles on the ground, in the air, and even in space. A key feature was the seamless ability to switch between these battlegrounds in real time. Players could start a fight on a planet and then instantly continue it in orbit – all they needed was a ship to launch into the sky.

Based on what we know so far, the game will let players control a variety of iconic Star Wars vehicles like X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and AT-ATs. In addition to piloting these machines, players will also be able to play as Jedi, Sith, and other familiar characters from the films.

A vision that surpassed its creators

The original idea for Star Wars: Battlefront III was ambitious. However, development wasn’t smooth sailing – at least, according to a former LucasArts employee who spoke to Gamespot years ago. Steve Ellis, David Doak, and Graeme Norgate offered a different perspective in interviews with GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer. Here’s a combined look at what they all shared, giving a complete picture of what happened behind the scenes.

Around early 2008, the development team working on Star Wars: Battlefront III told the publisher they wouldn’t be able to finish the game by the October deadline. The project was put on hold, with a new release date set for April 2009. However, the developers faced several challenges, including adapting the game to newer consoles, hiring additional staff, and redesigning parts of the game.

Free Radical Design was struggling, and the problems were clear with their game Haze, released in 2008. It received generally poor reviews, averaging below 60 out of 100. The studio’s relationship with LucasArts began to deteriorate, and there were reports that LucasArts was slow to make payments as the project progressed, though one employee later disputed this claim.

The team behind the canceled Star Wars: Battlefront III claims the game was almost finished – 99% complete – when development stopped in October 2008, and they had even begun planning Star Wars: Battlefront IV. However, LucasArts disputes this, stating the game was only about 75% complete and the existing work wasn’t very good.

Years later, a former employee anonymously pointed to the game Haze as a major problem, claiming it diverted funds and attention away from the project. Steve Ellis strongly disputed this claim. The employee also cited Free Radical Design’s overly ambitious goals and consistent failure to meet deadlines – something Ellis partially conceded, acknowledging his team’s planning errors.

Leak, reactivation and flop

As a huge Star Wars fan, the story of Star Wars: Battlefront III is just fascinating. It’s wild that even though the game was never officially announced, we started seeing actual gameplay footage pop up online! What’s even more incredible is that this footage proved they’d built some really cool features, like seamlessly flying from the planet’s surface into space. Then, things got really crazy when people started sharing videos and screenshots of themselves actually playing the game – somehow they had working copies! It’s a lost piece of Star Wars history that still blows my mind.

As a huge fan, I was so excited when I heard about a group trying to remake Star Wars: Battlefront III and put it on Steam! But then things got really interesting – the people who own Star Wars actually took notice! Instead of shutting it down, they decided to help bring the project back to life, but with a twist. It eventually became Galaxy in Turmoil, a multiplayer shooter. Sadly, because of copyright, the developers had to ditch all the Star Wars stuff and create their own original sci-fi universe instead. It was a bummer losing the Star Wars connection, but at least the game got made!

The game launched on Steam Early Access on May 23, 2020, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the game the developers had envisioned. Players received a fairly standard and unrefined shooting game that didn’t stand out. Despite being free-to-play with optional in-game purchases, it failed to impress. Consequently, it received “mostly negative” reviews on Steam and didn’t gain much attention. Ultimately, the developers decided to stop working on the game and close its servers.

Even so, Galaxy in Turmoil is currently still available to download for free on Valve’s platform, as of today.

Further fate of Free Radical Design

When the project was canceled, Free Radical Design faced serious financial difficulties. They filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and were subsequently acquired by the German company Crytek, becoming Crytek UK.

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2025-11-10 11:33