Unlike the majority of multiplayer shooters on the market, Star Wars: Battlefront II doesn’t currently allow players to change the appearance of their characters, instead offering customization options only for abilities and choice of weapons. It appears, however, that at some stage in development, the game was set to receive numerous appearance options.
Reddit user uninspired_zebra discovered the customization options hidden in Star Wars: Battlefront II‘s menus. After clicking on the “change appearance” option for a character, they were taken to a separate menu listing all six of the multiplayer factions. After selecting the Galactic Republic, eight different variants of the standard clone trooper are available, including the standard “Theed” as well as “Coruscant Guard.” The differences between the options are fairly minor — details on helmets and slightly different armor — but they still offer a little diversity in an otherwise homogeneous group.
Similar customization options are shown for the Rebel Alliance. These include completely different character models, and a Sullustan is even among the choices. The head sizes vary slightly between the different appearances, which could have had an impact on game balancing and hit detection if they were actually introduced. The Reddit user discovered additional skins for a few other Star Wars races including the Quarren, the Rodian, and the Twi’lek.
Star Wars: Battlefront II was allegedly planned to launch cosmetic skin options similar to what we’ve seen in shooters like Overwatch, but pressure from Lucasfilm helped to cut the feature. Microtransactions for gameplay-centric items were removed as well, at least temporarily, just prior to launch. Speaking at a Credit Suisse event, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen also revealed that concern about the universe’s canon helped guide the company’s decision.
“It’s an amazing brand that’s been built over many, many years,” Jordensen said. “So if you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon. Darth Vader in white probably doesn’t make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don’t want Darth Vader in pink. No offense to pink, but I don’t think that’s right in the canon.”
Star Wars: Battlefront II is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
