Star Wars: Battlefront 2 multiplayer restored, now with Steam/GOG crossplay

By Andy Chalk
published

Disney brings multiplayer support back to another classic Star Wars game.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (not to be confused with Star Wars Battlefront 2) lost its multiplayer support in 2014 when the GameSpy matchmaking it depended on shut down. That loss of "official" online play was a big knock against the game, since the multiplayer was what made it stand out. But as of right now, that's no longer a concern.   

"Star Wars: Battlefront II (Classic, 2005), the critically acclaimed shooter of massively entertaining warfare, has received a critical update," GOG announced today. "Powered by GOG Galaxy, the multiplayer function of the game has now been restored AND with added Crossplay support between GOG Galaxy and Steam." 

"Star Wars fans rejoice! Multiplayer support has returned for Battlefront II," Disney said in its own message on Steam. "Now you can draft your friends to the 501st legion and join up to 64 other players in a heated online battle for control of the galaxy." 

Other services, like GameRanger, helped filled the void left by GameSpy for players sufficiently dedicated to figuring it out. The advantage of this update—aside from the Steam/GOG crossplay—is that it eliminates the dicking around. "No extra tools required, no tweaks or weirdness," GOG said. "Just launch the game via Steam or GOG Galaxy and play like the old days."   

This actually isn't the first old-time Star Wars game to have its multiplayer support brought back from the dead: Disney did the same thing for the 2006 RTS Star Wars: Empire at War in September, although crossplay wasn't included with that update. It's almost enough to make you think that Disney acquiring Star Wars might not be entirely bad after all. 

Speaking of Star Wars, Disney, and GOG, the site kicked off a Disney Completion Sale today with five "thematic bundles" and discounts of up to 77 percent. Behold the majesty of markdowns: 

The sale runs until 3 pm PT/6 pm ET on October 9. 

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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