As the hype train for promotion ramps up for Star Wars: Battlefront II, new information has been revealed to give gamers either pause for reflection or excitement to embrace. The latest bit of news to surface has revealed that one of the co-writers for Spec Ops: The Line, Walt Williams, will be joined by former IGN writer, Mitch Dyer, in crafting out the story for Star Wars: Battlefront II’s campaign, which stars female Inferno Squad commander, Iden Versio.
The duo have been working with design studio Motive, who is in charge of the game’s single-player campaign mode.
The news about Williams and Dyer being the lead writers on the campaign comes from a Twitter post from Williams, who stated the following…
Excited to finally reveal what @MitchyD and I have been working on for the last year. Can’t wait for you to meet Inferno Squad. #StarWars https://t.co/J4qJlWMmxH
— Walt Williams (@waltdwilliams) April 15, 2017
For those unfamiliar with Williams’ work, he helped put together the story for Spec Ops: The Line, which was an anti-military take on a recon and rescue mission gone awry.
Mitch Dyer, alternatively, has not worked on any established video game franchises before. He was part of the GameJournoPros, and contributed regularly to IGN. He was also one of the individuals who was staunchly against the reformation of ethics in video game journalism, and espouses many of the same beliefs and standards put forward by third-wave male feminists.
Nevertheless, a prequel book written by Christie Golden will be available on July 25th called Star Wars: Inferno Squad, covering the events leading up to the formation of Inferno Squad, ahead of the story that takes place in Star Wars: Battlefront II. The description reads…
“In response to this stunning defeat, the Imperial Navy has authorized the formation of an elite team of soldiers, known as Inferno Squad. Their mission: infiltrate and eliminate the remnants of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. Following the death of their leader, the Partisans have carried on his extremist legacy, determined to thwart the Empire—no matter what the cost. Now, Inferno Squad must prove their status as the best of the best and take down the Partisans from within. But as the danger intensifies and the threat of discovery grows, how far will Inferno Squad go to ensure the safety of the Empire?”
EA already revealed in the press release that Inferno Squad will seek revenge, get betrayed, and then seek “redemption”.
Most people have already pieced together that Iden Versio at some point likely joins the Rebel Alliance, which would explain why in the campaign mode players will get to play as Luke Skywalker. They also revealed that players will also get to play as Kylo Ren during the formation of the First Order.
Some gamers are excited about the involvement of Williams in the story of Battlefront II’s campaign (which will stretch across five chapters). Others are disappointed that IGN’s Mitch Dyer has co-written the story.
For better or for worse, Iden Versio’s tale will be canon with the rest of the Star Wars cinematic universe. Some people are worried that it may be another Mary Sue-tale in the making like Rey from Star Wars: Episode VII, while others believe that it may end up being closer to the likes of Spec Ops: The line in terms of tone and gravitas.
Star Wars: Battlefront II is scheduled to release on November 17th for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
