‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Fighter Squadron Mode Excites With Teaser Trailer

Star Wars: Battlefront won’t have space combat, but it will feature a mode dedicated to X-Wings versus Tie Fighters. Electronic Arts teased the Fighter Squadron mode with a surprising teaser trailer on Monday ahead of the full reveal for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC shooter later this week at Gamescom.

The 12-second teaser trailer was shared on the EA Star Wars Facebook and Twitter accounts, showing an A-Wing chasing down a Tie Fighter before weaving around a gun tower with a Tie Interceptor. The view then switched to a third-person camera as a squadron of X-Wings rushes headlong into oncoming Tie Fighters with a pair of Star Destroyers looming in the clouds.

We’ve got fighters incoming! Subscribe to be the first to see Fighter Squadron gameplay: http://t.co/XQg6SdJUQX https://t.co/heX760X4I3

— EAStarWars (@EAStarWars) August 3, 2015

While not showing much, the Fighter Squadron teaser did reveal some of what we should expect with Star Wars: Battlefront. There will be an option to switch between in-cockpit and third-person views, just like when on foot in the game. Gameplay appears to be very arcade, with there being options for lasers and missiles. Shields are included for the Rebellion fighters, though there does not appear to be the option to favor the front or rear deflectors.

Additionally, the final image in the teaser of the X-Wing squadron flying towards the Tie Fighters appears to confirm the total number of players in the mode. There’s 20 Tie Fighters in the image, which would make Fighter Squadron a 20 versus 20 mode.

An Electronic Arts Community Manager and DICE developer both showed up in the Star Wars: Battlefront Reddit group to help build the hype for the new trailer.

“We can’t wait to reveal the full game mode details,” Community Manager Sledgehammer70 wrote.

“I can guarantee that the end of the trailer will give you the chills,” DICE_TheBikingViking added with a wink.

Star Wars: Battlefront will not feature space battles, as previously covered for Inquisitr. Instead, the Fighter Squadron mode will focus on in-atmosphere battles featuring X-Wings, A-Wings, and the various flavors of Tie Fighters. The decision has rankled fans of Star Wars: Battlefront II, even though that was done by a completely different developer and is the only title in the series to have space battles.

Now the question is how much like the Air Superiority mode from Battlefield 4 this mode will be. The gametype was introduced in the China Rising DLC, and featured three capture points spread around the map. Players had to fly close to capture points to control them while trying to keep enemy fighters from getting near.

We’ll find out with the full reveal during Gamescom this week.

[Images via Star Wars: Battlefront]

[Update: Added YouTube video via Darth Dio]