I was on a podcast thread when the rumor hit: emails, a magazine note and a whisper from a famous leaker. You felt it the same way I did—a familiar company suddenly tied to an entirely different franchise. For a few minutes you have to ask: could Bungie really be steering a Star Wars shooter?
I’ve tracked studios, publishers and leaks long enough that you can trust I’ll separate signal from noise. You and I both want to know how solid this is, what it would cost, and what it would do to Destiny and Marathon. Let me walk you through the sources, the stakes, and the most likely outcomes.
In the real world: EGM ran an item about Lucasfilm actively scouting partners.
Here’s the chain: Electronic Gaming Monthly printed a short piece saying Disney has plans for the Star Wars Battlefront series and that Lucasfilm is “aggressively deploying probe droids” to find a development partner. Jeff Grubb of Game Mess Mornings amplified that on his podcast, and Giant Bomb recirculated the thread. When three reputable outlets point at the same rumor, you have to treat it like a lead, not a punchline.
In the real world: two studios are named as potential leads—EA Dice and Bungie.
EA Dice is the canonical developer of Battlefront 2 (2017), which explains why they’re in the mix. Bungie’s name, though, is the one that turns heads. You know Bungie for Destiny and, long ago, Marathon. If anyone can handle a multiplayer, sci-fi shooter with persistent systems, it’s them. But names on a rumor sheet do not equal signed contracts.
Is Bungie making a Star Wars game?
Short answer: not confirmed. The rumor is sourced to EGM and amplified by Jeff Grubb—credible voices, but still rumor-circuit material. Bungie has ongoing projects: Marathon is live through March on its roadmap and Destiny content is still being unvaulted. If Bungie is even talking to Lucasfilm, it would be a major pivot for a studio already juggling two live services.
In the real world: Bungie’s calendar shows commitments to Marathon and Destiny beyond this spring.
Bungie’s roadmap lists Marathon through March and a Destiny 2 unvault plan that the studio says isn’t finished. You and I both know live-service schedules are sticky—sudden new ventures require either big hires, longer hours, or outside help. That’s where the licensing economics get interesting: a single Star Wars deal could bring a licensing fee in the ballpark of $100 million (€92 million) or more, money that would change internal calculus for Sony-owned Bungie.
Who would fund and publish a new Battlefront?
Disney and Lucasfilm control the IP. EA previously published Battlefront, but Disney has options. Sony, as Bungie’s parent, could front resources or greenlight collaboration if the numbers make sense. Expect talks that include Lucasfilm vetting, publisher bids, and strict creative oversight—especially given how closely Disney guards Star Wars continuity and brand trust after games like Zero Company and Galactic Racer raised expectations.
In the real world: the franchise hasn’t seen a proper sequel since 2017.
Battlefront 2 is nine years old, and the gap is glaring. Fans kept returning after overhauls, and the brand still has juice. Disney’s incentives are simple: more games equal more audience engagement and revenue funnels across media. If Bungie took it on, they’d be inheriting both a hot property and a history of community demands.
Would Bungie leaving Destiny affect players?
If Bungie signed a Star Wars deal, the obvious worry is that Destiny would get less attention. But Bungie has spent years building tools, content cadences, and a live-ops playbook. You should expect them to either scale teams or partner with external studios so Destiny’s roadmap continues while a Star Wars project ramps up. That said, resource shifts happen; gamers notice when support thins out.
In the real world: Bungie has worked with Lucasfilm before on Destiny 2: Renegades.
That collaboration gives both sides a reference point. It’s rare for studios to be blind spots to brands of that size—past cooperation lowers friction. If Lucasfilm wants confidence, Bungie’s history with sci-fi IP and Sony’s balance sheet are persuasive. Still, proof will be in contracts, timelines and who gets final creative sign-off.
Bungie is a Swiss Army knife of shooter design, and Battlefront could be a sleeping giant that wakes with the right team—both metaphors that matter because they frame risk and upside plainly. You’ve seen the players: EGM, Jeff Grubb, Giant Bomb, Lucasfilm, Disney, EA Dice, Sony. You know the stakes: live-service obligations, licensing fees, and a fandom that won’t forgive missteps.
I’ll watch the next updates: contract filings, hiring spikes on Bungie’s careers page, and statements from Lucasfilm or EA. Until then you can file this under “interesting, plausible, but unconfirmed.” So what would you bet on—Dice returning to finish what they started, or Bungie taking Star Wars in a new direction?