Star Wars gaming fans have made an exciting discovery – a playable version of the cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has emerged for the Nintendo Wii. This long-lost game, which was nearly complete before cancellation, offers a glimpse into what could have been the next evolution of the beloved Battlefront series.
The game was originally in development at Free Radical Design between 2006 and 2008, but was cancelled by LucasArts despite being reportedly 99% complete. The newly discovered build reveals significant improvements over Star Wars: Battlefront 2, particularly in its seamless ground-to-space combat system.
Key features of the discovered build include:
- Classic ground combat similar to Battlefront 2
- New aerial combat system featuring iconic Star Wars vehicles like X-Wings
- Seamless transitions between ground and space battles
- Multiple playable maps and scenarios
- Integration of both Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War eras
A group of dedicated fans from the Free Radical community has taken on the task of preserving this piece of gaming history. They’re currently working to fix several technical issues in the build and hope to make it publicly available for other fans to experience.
The discovery is particularly significant because Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was one of the most anticipated unreleased Star Wars games. Its cancellation came as a shock to many fans, especially given how close it was to completion. The game would have been the first in the series to allow players to seamlessly transition between ground battles and space combat, a feature that wasn’t fully realized until EA’s later Battlefront titles.
While there’s no specific timeline for when this restored version might be available to the public, the fan community remains committed to preserving this important piece of Star Wars gaming history.
Note: This fan restoration project is separate from EA’s modern Battlefront series and represents a historical artifact from the original LucasArts era of Star Wars games.
