Electronic Arts confirms that Emperor Palpatine and Princess Leia will be amongst the cast of playable hero and villain characters in Star Wars Battlefront.

With the release of Star Wars Battlefront just around the corner on November 17, 2015, many players were chomping at the bit to get official details on the cast of beloved characters that will be playable at launch. Now, Electronic Arts has given a little more information surrounding the heroes and villains on show. In particular, the publisher has highlighted that gamers will be able to play as Emperor Palpatine, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.

As with other Star Wars Battlefront heroes, Solo, Palpatine, and Leia will have a selection of special skills. Han Solo can use Rapid Fire, Shoulder Charge, and Lucky Shot, the latter of which being particularly useful through its ability to break Darth Vader's block. Meanwhile, Emperor Palpatine can use his iconic Force Lightning and Chain Lightning, whilst Leia can take down Stormtroopers with even more ease through Trooper Bane.

The news may not come as a surprise to those interested in playing the latest iteration of the iconic Battlefront franchise. After all, details surrounding the heroes and villains of the title were leaked during the title's beta stage. One savvy user looked at Star Wars Battlefront's program files and discovered the characters, somewhat stealing EA's thunder.

Those hoping to play as the new heroes in the full release of the game will no doubt be looking forward to seeing exactly how they fare in battle. So far, although the heroes and villains certainly give a real boost to a player's power, they have more than been proved to be fallible. Luke Skywalker may have the power of the force behind him, but that does not necessarily make up for being crushed by the foot of an AT-AT.

The beta has also given gamers a much better look at the game in action, with the test hosting more than 9 million players over the course of its run. It has also proved invaluable for EA - and for developer DICE. After complaints over major balancing issues in the Walker Assault multiplayer match type, the developer is working to tweak the match in a way that does not jeopardize its asymmetrical nature.

Although the build-up to Star Wars Battlefront has been generally positive, there have been some concerns over the title. DICE has revealed that the game will not have private matches at launch, whilst console players have felt aggrieved over the sacrifice of resolution over frame rate. Let's see whether the full release of the game lives up to expectations.

Star Wars Battlefront will be released on November 17, 2015, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.