Oh, Dice, you are really making it hard for me to be optimistic about this game lately. But, I'll try.
I don't think it's abandoned. Here's a comment from F8RGE (our Battlefront source):
Criterion and Motive may have moved on, but that doesn't mean we won't get any more SFA maps. The basic work is done—it's just map-making now. Motive going bye-bye just means there won't be any more story mode coming, but I don't think anyone thought that was happening anyhow.
The news also states that a new planet is coming in June. That could mean a GA map, a smaller map and a SFA map—all on that one planet.
And this content coming next week is pretty sweet. Granted, I thought for sure we'd be getting Extraction back, but Jabba's Palace was one of my favorites in the last game. Maybe Extraction will be coming in June with the rest. Speaking of June, I bet they can't show much of the NEW Solo stuff due to some Disney rights thingee... I have no idea. I'm grasping here.
PROS:
- Starfighter Assault Arcade.
- Potentially faster load times with the new UI... which are atrocious at the moment, so anything better would be HUGE for me.
- The 2 new skins are sweet. I want that Legendary Leia Bounty Hunter one, mainly because it has the new voice.
- JABBA'S PALACE!!!
- New HvV mode seems cool. Not sure how much I'll play it though.
- This is only Part 1.
- Some communication on their part is better than the complete radio silence we were treated to when the game launched. Even if it's almost completely devoid of details, it's better than...
- Also coming with Hero patches including a Luke upgrade.
- Geonosis and General Grievous—according to the leak.
- New Milestones. I now have more reasons to do stuff. Joy.
- Ewok Hunt is permanent? It seems that way. Now they just need to change it to "Hunt" and add more creatures/maps.
CONS:
- Nothing about Part 2. Like... come on.
- Potentially no new Heroes, if that leak is 100% accurate. At least recycle Greedo and Nien Nunb from 2015. They fit with the theme and they were added last second to The Outer Rim to avoid backlash. Dice... do the right thing here.
- Clone Wars stuff not arriving until after August?!?!?! Ugh.
- Extraction?
- Where's Jabba's Garage?
And... I think this forum and the official forum is officially breaking me at this point. I've been giving EA the benefit of the doubt, thinking things were pushed back due to revamping the entire progression system, but now even I'm starting to worry. Come on, Dice. Don't kill this game.