'Star Wars Battlefront' Update: Developer Reveals Customization Was a Priority and Key for Creating Characters of Diverse Backgrounds
"Star Wars Battlefront" developer DICE revealed in an interview that customization was a priority of the game. The game offers players a wide range of customizations, resulting in playable characters of diverse backgrounds.
Senior Producer at DICE Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir told NPR during an interview that the team behind "Star Wars Battlefront" thought of customization as a priority, not a secondary feature.
"For us, now that we are rebooting the franchise and looking forward, it was important to take notice of the fact that gamers are of both genders, young and old, of every race," Ingvarsdottir tells NPR's Michel Martin. "We wanted to make sure that from the get-go we were designing the franchise to be inclusive for everyone."
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The senior producer further reveals a discussion about whether or not characters should be male or female was not necessary. For the game's design director, it was a given that gamers should be able to play both gender and Ingvarsdottir strongly supports this. Afterward, it was only a matter of specifying the races.
The playable characters in the game are actual actors. Ingvarsdottir said they had a casting and made sure those chosen were as diverse and different as possible.
Unlike in the movies, this "Star Wars" game is not whitewashed. Playable characters included a few alien characters, but the human characters that are included in the game come from different races and have varying facial attributes. The video below shows just how diverse the character selection in "Star Wars Battlefront" is, not to mention the number of blasters that can be unlocked.
NPR also asked the DICE representative her thoughts about the possible effects of "Star Wars Battlefront" in the gaming industry. Ingvarsdottir feels the industry is changing positively, albeit not very quickly. As for "Star Wars Battlefront's" part in that change, she thinks it could be seen as "emblematic of a bigger change."
"Star Wars Battlefront" is a tactical shooting game from DICE playable on the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It came out initially on Nov. 17.
