EA preps for next week’s first Star Wars Battlefront DLC, teases more free maps to come

As previously announced, Star Wars Battlefront will receive its first pack of downloadable content, the free Star Wars: The Force Awakens back story The Battle of Jakku starting Dec. 1. Previously teased in a short trailer, publisher Electronic Arts shared new details today on what to expect from the DLC and hinted at the arrival of more free content in the future.

As seen above, EA released new artwork from the map, which will be available next Tuesday to anyone who pre-ordered the game and Dec. 8 for everyone else. While it previously confirmed that the Battle of Jakku takes place 29 years before the events of the upcoming film, EA emphasized that the two new maps you'll play through help to set the stage for The Force Awakens.

Not only does the DLC have a connection to next month's new Star Wars film, but it adds something new to Battlefront, too. The pack will introduce a new gameplay mode, called Turning Point. 40 players can take part in the Rebel Alliance as you fight off the Empire. To successfully stage a coup, the Rebels will have to clear various checkpoints on the way to capturing the Empire's base.

EA later teased that this new map would be just the first of several free downloads it plans to add to the game outside of its confirmed paid season pass. A message from EA Studios' executive vice president Patrick Söderlund notesgot it that the studio will continue to add "free maps and Star Cards" in the future to the game, which he also referred to as its "largest digital launch" in company history.

A $50 season pass will launch sometime in 2016, bringing a host of new characters, maps and modes across four separate installments.

Check out our review of Star Wars Battlefront for more on what the game currently offers.