If you were too busy celebrating the fact that the Star Wars Battlefront beta is coming early next month, then you may have missed this titbit of devastation.
Talking on the Battlefront subreddit, EA Community Manager Sledgehammer70 confirmed that the game will not have an option to browse servers, but will instead use a “new skill-based matchmaking system.” Now you can be matched up against people you don’t know, on a server you didn’t choose, quite possibly on maps you don’t want to play. Stellar.
Naturally, people are pretty pissed. Server browsing has been a staple of first-person shooters on PC and occasionally consoles, as they offer a much more tuned online experience and a greater sense of community.
EA have likely stripped this feature as a way of simplifying the game, under the assumption that more casual players who just want to shoot each other with lasers will be confused by the vast amount of options that server browsing creates. But in true EA fashion, it’s backfired on them massively.
“Star Wars Battlefront will not offer a server browser.” Some CEO has really Jar Jared this game up.
— Nerd³ (@DanNerdCubed) September 2, 2015
No server browser for the new Battlefront? Seriously wtf is wrong with game developers lately? — Ryan David Buttery (@RyanButtery) September 3, 2015
Battlefront 3 skill based matchmaking announcement has really turned me off buying the game
— Metal sonic 91 (@Metalsonic91) September 3, 2015
The comments about this are overwhelmingly negative, nobody is supporting EA’s decision.
I dont understand how it can have Private Servers w/o a Server Browser. This is really concerning me. EA seems to be fucking up Battlefront. — Joe Vargas (@AngryJoeShow) September 3, 2015
I GUARANTEE YOU Battlefront's got no server browser so they can implement DLC map packs. GUARANTEED. Fuck yourselves, EA.
— Zombirate (@Zombirate) September 3, 2015
EA have yet to comment on the news but we’ll likely know more in the coming days and weeks, but this is yet another reason to cast a sceptical eye on something Star Wars fans and gamers have been waiting a long, long time for.
Mark is the Gaming Editor for UNILAD. Having grown up a gaming addict, he’s been deeply entrenched in culture and spends time away from work playing as much as possible. Mark studied music at University and found a love for journalism through going to local gigs and writing about them for local and national publications.