Early estimate predicts EA’s Battlefront 2 will slightly outsell predecessor

by Jared · March 22, 2017

Stormtrooper selfie in Battlefront by Cinematic Captures.

Investment company Merrill Lynch is predicting that EA’s Battlefront franchise will be back later this year in greater numbers.

As reported by SmartStockNews, Merrill Lynch estimated in an investor report that the Battlefront sequel will ship 15 million units in its first financial year. That estimate just outstrips the 2015 edition, which moved 14 million units.

Coupled with somewhat mixed review scores for Mass Effect: Andromeda (also published by EA), Merrill Lynch feels that Battlefront “is shaping up to be the key” EA title for the 2018 financial year, according to SmartStockNews.

No specific date has been set for EA’s second Battlefront game, but the company has noted that it’ll arrive sometime in holiday 2017. Assuming they’re going off of the U.S. holiday season, that means it’ll likely arrive sometime in either November or December.

Jabba the Hutt in Battlefront as taken by Cinematic Captures.

Note that as Merrill Lynch merely provided an estimate on units shipped, the actual number may be different. However, because Merrill Lynch, which is owned by Bank of America, provides investor advice, it’s in their best interest to accurately predicts sale numbers. Additionally, these estimates may eventually help provide a barometer to compare the financial success of the next Battlefront against.

The next Battlefront has been confirmed to feature a full-on single-player campaign. EA has also promised that it will include new characters from the Rogue One and The Force Awakens movies. Besides those tidbits, it’s been teased to be “dramatically larger” than EA’s first Battlefront offering.

For me, seeing estimates that the game will sell well isn’t very surprising. Being in the midst of a run of yearly movies, the Star Wars brand is very much alive. Star Wars hype should also be the roof considering that the next film, The Last Jedi, is slated for release on December 17. There will also be plenty of hope that the Battlefront sequel will successfully deliver “that Star Wars feeling”.

(Top image by Cinematic Captures. Second image also by Cinematic Captures. Check out their Flickr page for more awesome screenshots.)