:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66740015/star_wars_battlefront.0.jpg)
Star Wars: Battlefront has a new update. Nope, not the DICE game from 2015, the original Battlefront from 2004. This new update, which is only for the Steam version of the game —because the other platforms it was released on were the PlayStation 2 and Xbox — adds online multiplayer.
The original release of Battlefront also had multiplayer, which could be played either over a local area connection, by using the GameSpy servers on PS2 or and PC, or over Xbox Live on the original Xbox.
Battlefront was re-released on Steam in 2019, as Star Wars: Battlefront (Classic, 2004) but since GameSpy shut down long before that back in 2014, there wasn’t a multiplayer option, outside of custom workarounds. The original PC version of the game supported up to 64 players — which according to Steam Charts is right around double the Steam version’s average player count — but it’s not clear how big you can make games this time around.
Despite the fact that the game is approaching two decades old at this point, this is the second update the Steam version has gotten since its 2019 release.
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.
