Star Wars: The Force Awakens may not yet be in theaters, but the demand for Star Wars is already at extreme levels.
EA has announced that a total of over nine million people played Star Wars: Battlefront over the past week. This figure makes it the most popular beta in the history of EA, beating out the Battlefield series by a significant margin.
Star Wars: Battlefront is anticipated to be one of the best-selling titles of 2015, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been the target of criticism. Many are calling it a simplified shooter lacking in depth and variety, values that could be considered a positive given its wide demographic. Others revere the beautify of its presentation, true-to-spirit Star Wars elements, and smooth gameplay.
It's also come under fire by Xbox gamers who are dissatisfied by its 720p resolution, a pixel dimension that many thought would be left to last-generation consoles by now. Hardware may be part of the problem, but judging by what other developers are able to deliver on the platform, a lack of time and effort is partially to blame.
In addition to being priced at $59.99, Star Wars: Battlefront will offer a $49.99 season pass. This continues a trend of increasingly expensive season passes in the gaming industry, which appear to be selling well given their prevalence.
Star Wars: Battlefront will debut on November 17th on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.