Sources say Star Wars Battlefront 3 is EA’s Respawn-DICE project amid layoffs

Multiple sources confirmed to Variety on October 21, 2026, that Electronic Arts is developing Star Wars Battlefront 3 at its studios. The publisher itself did not name the title in an internal memo dated the same day, but the memo confirmed that studios Respawn and DICE would collaborate on a future project. The announcement arrived alongside a major restructuring that cuts around 400 staffers, about 3 percent of EA’s global workforce, and shuts down BioWare.

The internal memo was titled “Building EA’s Next Chapter” and came from studio chief Cam Weber and COO David Tinson. It outlined a restructuring that would cut roughly 3 percent of EA’s global workforce, representing around 400 staffers. The acquisition by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners was announced in September 2025 and officially closed on August 4, 2026. The restructuring also includes shutting down BioWare and stopping development on the next Mass Effect game.

Rumors indicated that Lucasfilm Games wanted a development partner for a new Battlefront game, with DICE and Sony-owned Bungie among the candidates. Reports on October 20, 2026, said that DICE and Bungie were under consideration. Joe Brammer, CEO and co-founder of Bulkhead Games, said on October 20, 2026, that he had heard DICE and Respawn were working on the game.

In the same memo, Weber and Tinson said they would be “bringing together our Respawn and DICE studios to collaborate on a future project,” and sources confirmed to Variety that this project is Star Wars Battlefront 3. The game remains in early development and may not yet involve hands-on work. Reports say that Bungie will not develop the game, leaving the project with DICE and Respawn at EA.

EA plans future Battlefield titles and pointed to the strong success of Battlefield 6 and other first-person live-service shooters as a reason to keep investing in the genre. The publisher also plans to expand Apex Legends over the next few years with new gameplay modes and other new multiplayer experiences. In the memo, executives said EA will concentrate on fewer simultaneous large-scale projects after two upcoming major launches: Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game. Respawn Entertainment is also working on the next chapter of the Star Wars Jedi games, Jedi 3, while a new entry in the Fight Night boxing series is in development.

DICE developed the two previous Star Wars Battlefront games for EA, released in 2015 and 2017. The first of these games launched in 2015, and the sequel followed in 2017. Star Wars Battlefront II launched in 2017 to an unwelcome reception because of its microtransaction-heavy progression system, though it later received updates that improved its reception. The game featured a single-player campaign following Iden Versio from Imperial leader of Inferno Squadron to Rebel Alliance soldier, plus multiplayer battles across eras from the Clone Wars to the Age of Rebellion.

Battlefront II experienced a sudden resurgence in players in 2025, with many hoping it would spark talks of a third Battlefront. Since 2017, new Star Wars eras have emerged, including The High Republic and Dawn of the Jedi. The Star Wars franchise gained two new popular entries in 2026: Star Wars Zero Company, co-developed by Respawn, and racing title Star Wars: Galactic Racer, both enjoying critical success.

The Battlefront 3 news arrived alongside BioWare’s shutdown, the Mass Effect cancellation, and roughly 400 layoffs, a timing that onlookers described as bittersweet. In the memo, Weber and Tinson pointed to the strong success of Battlefield 6 and other first-person live-service shooters as a reason to keep investing in the genre, and said EA would concentrate on fewer simultaneous large-scale projects after its upcoming action-adventure launches.