Are you a die-hard Star Wars fan? Well, you may be in for a treat.
Recent hype for the franchise has been huge given that it’s been several years since releases like Star Wars Battlefront 2, but did you know that there are even more Star Wars games in development?
Recent reports suggest that various developers have new games in the works, from a story-driven open world title by Ubisoft to a branching narrative by Quantic Dream.
Keep reading to find out all the details on the latest and upcoming Star Wars games.
Recent Star Wars games
The reasons so many fans are excited about potential new releases is due to the amount of time passed since the release of the last Star Wars games several years ago.
The 2015 and 2017 editions of Star Wars Battlefront were highly anticipated by fans of the series, as they were the first new games in the series in over a decade.
The first edition was developed by EA DICE and was released on November 17, 2015. Set during the original Star Wars trilogy, it allowed players to take on the roles of soldiers from both the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. The game received praise for its graphics, sound design, and attention to detail in recreating iconic locations from the Star Wars universe. Yet it also faced criticism for its lack of a single-player campaign and limited content at launch.
Two years later, EA DICE released the follow-up. This time, the game was set across all three Star Wars eras and allowed players to play as iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Kylo Ren. It also included a single-player campaign that was praised by critics, but it featured a controversial loot box system, which allowed players to purchase in-game advantages with real money. Critics compared this to online gambling and there was huge pressure from the authorities for the game makers to change them.
Not long after, the change came. Rather than buying the boxes, players received them in exchange for skilful play or completing challenges, making them more like getting a no deposit casino bonus than gambling with your own money.
While the games were praised for their attention to detail and recreation of the Star Wars universe, they also faced criticism for their lack of content, and the fuss over their controversial monetization systems never quite went away.
This could be about to change, with new developers hoping to take the Star Wars franchise down a different route.
Upcoming Star Wars releases
It’s possible that more Star Wars games are being developed than what you are aware of.
Disney has been gradually releasing Star Wars games for the PC since the mid-2010s, including Respawn’s Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars: Squadrons. While these releases have had limited success, there has still been space for a blockbuster to come along and blow the game industry out of the water. And this may be about to happen.
There are currently six big Star Wars games in development for the PC, most of which don’t have titles yet.
Ubisoft is developing an open-world Star Wars game that is story-driven and set in the Star Wars galaxy. The project, titled “Hero Team 4K 2,” is being led by Massive Entertainment, a team of industry veterans who will utilize the latest technologies, including the Snowdrop engine, to bring players a truly innovative and immersive gaming experience.
Quantic Dream is also developing a game called Star Wars Eclipse that is a branching narrative game set in Star Wars’ High Republic era. With moral and tactical decisions that shape the player’s unique story, Star Wars Eclipse will be set in the Outer Rim, where political tensions and the fate of characters hang in the balance.
A third company, Respawn, is working on both a Star Wars FPS and a Star Wars strategy game, with ex-Firaxis art director Greg Foertsch’s new studio Bit Reactor developing the latter.
Finally, Amy Hennig, who was the creative director of Uncharted, is also working on a Star Wars game as the head of Skydance New Media, a games division in the film and television production company.
These games could potentially bring new life to the Star Wars franchise and provide a fresh and immersive gaming experience for fans.
If all comes to fruition, then 2023 could be one of the best years for Star Wars games in living memory.
