Video game developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts are saying that they plan to launch Star Wars Battlefront during the holiday season of next year, bringing the multiplayer-focused first-person shooter to the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony.

The information comes from a call to investors which follows the reveal of financial results for the companies.

VG247 says that the publisher believes that the date allows the game to have a major impact on the market and also means that it will benefit from the hype associated with the new movie trilogy that's connected to the universe.

Star Wars Battlefront is designed to be a major release for the company and DICE has been using a great deal of its resources to create it ever since it launched Battlefield 4.

Blake Jorgensen, the chief financial officer of Electronic Arts, states, "This allows us to have a major first-person shooter title each year."

Before Star Wars Battlefront, the company will have to make sure that the launch of Battlefield Hardline, which takes place on March 17 of next year, is also a success.

Electronic Arts has previously said that it wants Star Wars Battlefront to mark a new beginning for the series, with gameplay mechanics that will attract both long-term fans and newcomers and with a lot of content which is linked to the new movie series.

Star Wars Battlefront will probably also get a beta

Battlefield 4 is serving as a cautionary tale for both developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts, and in order to avoid any sort of launch issue the two will probably offer a beta period for all their major new releases in the first-person shooter genre.

Given that Star Wars Battlefront is set to be out for the holiday season of 2015, it would make sense to test the core mechanics at some point during the summer.

No official plans have been announced yet, but a beta will probably feature one or two game modes and a limited selection of maps.

DICE has been known to listen to feedback coming from the fan base and it will probably tweak the experience based on the reactions of those who take part.

It's also entirely possible that Electronic Arts will link participation in the testing of Star Wars Battlefront with a special edition of Battlefield Hardline or with a pre-order for it.