Leaked artwork from the unreleased Battlefront III was cancelled despite being nearly completed, work had already begun on conceptualizing the narrative of the latest would-be installment. It was not meant to be, however, as the cancellation of the project contributed to the closure and bankruptcy of the developer.
Since the closure of Free Radical Design, leaked footage has gone on to show what could've been, with gameplay footage and cinematics of the game's campaign finding their way to YouTube. These bits of video footage indicated a more narrative-driven focus for the new Battlefront titles, with a story following from the conclusion of Star Wars lore learned from the Prequel Trilogy to create a new wrinkle in the battle between the Rebel Alliance and Imperial Remnant.
In 2018, an redemption after becoming Darth Vader, and, perhaps most striking of all, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker succumbing to the Dark Side.
What The Concept Art For Battlefront 4 Means For Star Wars Fans
Some of the concept art would also reveal other narrative changes not restricted to simple alignment swaps, however. Digging into the concept art reveals that one of the scenarios would have Anakin encounter Yoda on Naboo, slaying the Jedi Master to complete his training under Emperor Palpatine, the Emperor not relying on a subterfuge like the original plot and, instead, invading Naboo himself with Anakin at his side. During this invasion, Anakin would also kill Pe Amidala, slaying her in a fit of rage rather than her death happening as it does in Revenge of the Sith.
The concept art reveals a lot of intriguing plot scenarios from within the Star Wars universe, perhaps taking inspiration from the Star Wars Infinities comic-book line with the wide variety of "what-if" scenarios in play. The destruction of Endor as well as the Imperial occupation of Naboo indicate sweeping changes to the present timeline, and the artwork showing alternate versions of preexisting characters would indicate the possibility of several timelines, as artwork depicting Darth Vader as "Emperor Vader" having overthrown Palpatine, as well as artwork showing Anakin in a new suit without the cybernetic enhancement that keep him alive after the events of his duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar, would indicate that there is more than one possible scenario at work here. Artwork of Princess Leia completing her own Jedi training (and alternate artwork of her under the influence of the Dark Side) would also hint at a wider range of change.
At a time when Star Wars was beginning to fill in the blanks with titles such as The Force Unleashed, using Star Wars Battlefront as a playground for players and fans to play through a variety of "what-if" scenarios would've been a thrilling way to create new content as the first two Battlefront titles had covered both the Original and Prequel Trilogies to their utmost, with Battlefront III set to on its own narrative going forward. With the closure of Free Radical Design, however, it was not meant to be, and the stories of Battlefront IV would remain untold, with a new Battlefront rising in its stead as a reboot of the franchise, the untold legends gone but not forgotten to time. With on Battlefront II having completed, perhaps revisiting some of these concepts would provide a breath of fresh air to the Star Wars franchise's place in gaming.
Source: LukeLandwalker/Imgur
