Star Wars Battlefront Delay? "That's Not Going to Happen" EA Exec Says

Star Wars Battlefront's November 17 release date is pretty much a guarantee. That's according to EA COO Peter Moore, who says in a new interview that EA would have no issue delaying the game if major issues were discovered in the final stages of development--but that's very unlikely to happen.

Asked by MCV if EA would dare delay Battlefront and miss out on what will surely be increased buzz from Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Moore said it's possible on principle. But if you've booked some "sick" time on November 17 to play Battlefront, you shouldn't have to change your plans.

“Yes, because you can't ship it if it doesn't work or the quality level isn't right," Moore said about potentially delaying Battlefront. "You just bite the bullet. Trust me, shipping Battlefield: Hardline in March was not the easiest thing to do from a business perspective, but it was absolutely the right thing to do from a 'players first' perspective. We would have no compunction, no hesitation whatsoever, that if something was to go wrong with Star Wars Battlefront--if it wasn't right--we would just push it. But that's not going to happen."

Last year, EA delayed two of its biggest games in Dragon Age Inquisition and the aforementioned Battlefield Hardline. As Moore stated, EA did this with its "player-first" mantra in mind.

Elsewhere in the interview, Moore talked about how the licensed games market has changed in recent years. No longer are you seeing direct tie-in games with linear stories, but rather projects that take advantage of the strength of video games compared to film.

"We are a superior medium," he said about games. "We can tell stories better than any direct movie, which is linear with passive engagement from the viewer. We take great pride in the fact that you are playing you Star Wars fantasy. When I got in this industry, yeah we were a little inferior to films and we felt that the game had to be built around the movie to succeed. That is not the case anymore and games should stand alone."

Battlefront launches on November 17 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, just a few weeks before J.J. Abrams' Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awkens hits theaters. Everyone who buys Battlefront will receive a free expansion called The Battle of Jakku, which is based on the upcoming movie.

Later today, July 30, DICE will reveal a new Battlefront game mode. We'll have all the details for you as they're announced.