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The Future of Star Wars in Video Games

What has the Force got in store for us?

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The Future of Star Wars in Video GamesThe Future of Star Wars in Video Games

Star Wars is definitely back in Force, and not only in cinemas. There is a growing appetite for video games set in a Galaxy Far, Far Away, and Electronic Arts itself has announced that they are trying to "cater to different parts of the Star Wars universe and create different game experiences that are tailor-made for those fans." With a New Hope on the horizon for Star Wars games, then, we decided to investigate a little further and see what the future might have in store for us.

Star Wars Battlefront II: The first "new" Star Wars Battlefront did a lot of good and very little bad, but they didn't do everything fans wanted - and deserved. One of the community's biggest complaints is related to the absence of a story campaign, but that will change in the sequel. During an investor's conference, Electronic Arts confirmed that Battlefront II will be released in fall 2017, and it will come with a full single-player campaign.

Although there is no concrete information about this campaign, it has been revealed that Motive Studios will address this component of the project, while DICE will continue to focus on the online mode, which as always is the main attraction in Battlefront games. In a conversation with Eurogamer, producer Paul Keslin has promised that the story campaign will not be treated as inferior to the multiplayer.

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"As a Star Wars fan, I want a story, I want a narrative, I want something that keeps me immersed in this world, but also something to follow and pursue," he said.

Another request from fans has been the ability to physically move from on-foot gameplay to vehicle gameplay. In the original Battlefront players can only drive vehicles when they pick up a specific item on the battlefield, and then there is a cut to the vehicle in question. Despite the insistence of the fans, this is something that Paul Keslin could not promise - and we don't blame DICE. Can you imagine how terrible it would be to climb on board of an AT-AT or an AT-ST?

Finally, what kind of content will we see in the multiplayer? The first game was based on the original trilogy of movies, plus one expansion dedicated to Rogue One. So what's left to explore in Star Wars Battlefront II? According to the EA, the sequel will be based on "several eras of Star Wars", which suggests simultaneously a journey to the past and to the future. It is likely that Battlefront II will base some content on the prequels, which naturally highlights the Battle of Clones. Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Count Dooku, Yoda, and General Grievous are just a few of the many possibilities in terms of heroes and villains.

Battlefront II is also likely to focus on the new films. The Force Awakens was only featured in Battlefront as a single map, so it is likely to appear more prominently in this sequel, possibly with Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, and Captain Phasma as heroes and villains. Rogue One was well covered in the last expansion of Battlefront, so that might be left out, but we'd bet that Star Wars: The Last Jedi (the next movie), will be one of the expansions of Battlefront II, and it's almost certain Han Solo's solo film will be covered in late 2018, just as DICE did with Rogue One.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic: The MMORPG created by Bioware has navigated its way through five years of ups and downs, but since moving to free-to-play it seems to have found its own space. The rise in popularity of the films may also have helped boost interest in the MMORPG. Of course, BioWare and EA are not willing to let The Old Republic die, as proven by their latest game-related activities. The latest expansion, Knights of the Eternal Throne, was released last December, and on January 21 Bioware released a massive update.

Despite its age, Star Wars: The Old Republic still has a lot to offer, and it's well worth trying for fans of the saga, after all, the basic experience is free and there's a lot of content to explore for fans of the studio's RPGs.

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Star Wars - Respawn Entertainment: Although Titanfall 2 has been a minor commercial failure, the quality of the game is undeniable, and the studio has already shown that it knows what it's doing. At the moment a team led by Stig Asmussen (director of God of War III) is working on a third-person action and adventure game based on the Star Wars universe. From what has been revealed by the studio, which refers to the desire to "expand the universe of Star Wars", this game will address an era never before seen in movies or games.

The short video released so far shows a small segment of a motion capture session, where two actors are enacting a battle with lightsabers. It is therefore likely that players can play with a Jedi or a Sith (rumours point to the Dark Side of the Force). Respawn has already confirmed that this game will be about "the characters and their experiences," also reinforcing the idea that the game will prioritise fluid and fun gameplay.

In conversation with Glixel, Vince Zampella (co-founder of Respawn) said they would be willing to sacrifice visual quality for gameplay, if need be. "It needs to have a good feeling, to play well, and it has to be fun," he said. If all goes as planned, this Respawn game will be released in 2019.

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Star Wars - Visceral Games: Here is a game that potentially has everything to keep us satisfied: an experienced studio, talented designers, and a decent amount of time. Visceral Games has proven that it knows how to handle science fiction with the Dead Space trilogy, and after that the studio developed Battlefield: Hardline while DICE was busy with Battlefront and Battlefield 1.

One of the heavyweights working with this Star Wars game is Amy Hennig, screenwriter and creative director of the Uncharted saga. Her departure from Naughty Dog during the production of Uncharted 4: A Thied's End was a strange and abrupt series of events, but the writer found a new home in Visceral Games. She joined Todd Stashwick (writer of several TV shows and movies) to work on this Star Wars game. Another industry name involved in the production of the game is Jade Raymond, one of the original creators of Assassin's Creed. Talent is definitely not lacking around this project.

Details on the game are still sparse, though, but the eight-second video of early footage is enough to tell us a lot. For starters, this seems to be a third-person game, and there is speculation that it will be an action-RPG on a open-world (Witcher 3 style), but that's probably wishful thinking.

The character shown in the video is unknown, but the location is not. The video clearly shows the outside of the Mos Eisley canteen in Tatooine. This is the canteen where Luke Skywalker met Han Solo for the first time in A New Hope. The video also shows two Star Destroyers and several Tie Fighters, which indicates a strong presence of the Empire on the planet.

Amy Hennig has said also said this will be a "assemble" narrative: "This is not a story about an isolated character, because that's not what Star Wars is about. The characters need to be a coordinated group, and act in the moment and in parallel."

Does this suggest any kind of cooperative gameplay? That's what it appears to be at least, but once again, we're only speculating. Above you can watch an EA video regarding the upcoming Star Wars games, highlighting the Visceral Games game at the 2:15 minute mark.

Lego Star Wars: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in June of last year, and was well received by critics and the general public. For now there are no announcements related to a new game in the Lego Star Wars universe, but we will be surprised if Rogue One doesn't receive similar treatment. We know that Warner is preparing a reveal a new Lego game. Could it be Star Wars related?

The Fallen: In 2010 Red Fly Studio worked on a project inspired by Darth Maul, the villain of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, but the game was eventually cancelled. Recently, details about the project began to emerge, including a few seconds of gameplay and several pieces of art. This raised talks about a possible resurrection of the project, and the studio has already stated that it would love to return to Star Wars: Maul, but for now there is no official confirmation that this will happen.

Another game cancelled from the Star Wars universe was 1313, a third-person action game that would have been dedicated to the mercenaries of the Star Wars universe. What Lucasfilms actually showed of the game was impressive, but the project was eventually canned when Disney bought the Star Wars license. Might it be resurrected in the future? There are signs it might happen, but for now there are no official comments in this regard.

Even if these games are not confirmed or announced, it seems certain that Star Wars has a promising future in the video game industry. Now, if only someone can please pick up the Knights of the Old Republic license, we will be some happy Star Wars fans.

Star Wars 1313 Trailer

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Star Wars: Maul artwork

The Future of Star Wars in Video GamesThe Future of Star Wars in Video Games
The Future of Star Wars in Video GamesThe Future of Star Wars in Video Games


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