At least in terms of games,Star Warshas seen kind of a roller coaster in terms of recent releases. With EA at the helm, there have simultaneously been some disappointments like 2017’sStar Wars Battlefront 2(although that was eventually turned around), as well some great games likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand the upcomingSquadrons. Uncertainty is underselling the feeling of fans after EA has started helming theStar Warsvideo game franchise, and now EA wishes to “double down” on its Disney partnership for futureStar Warsgames.
It’s hard to say what this means exactly, but EA has expressed its desire to improve and right the ship amongst the controversy it has received recently. ForStar Warsin particular, there’s evidence of this with the newSquadronstitle, which means there could be more enthusiast or nicheStar Warstitles going into development for the future. EA’s track record should serve as a good gauge for what the publisher should truly double down on moving forward.
Battlefront: Improving Existing Franchises
There was some initial hope when EA took over the licensing rights forStar Warsgames after LucasArts shut down in 2013. Upon the divisive restructuring ofStar Warscanon by Disney, all furtherStar Warsgames would be handle by EA’s subsidiaries like DICE, BioWare, Visceral Games, and Respawn Entertainment. The developers behindBattlefieldandTitanfallwere makingStar Warsgames, which at the time and even now is still an exciting proposition. PairingBattlefield-style gunplay and destruction paired withStar Warsmilitary ordinance isexactly whyBattlefronthas great potential. But there have been notable ups and downs since then withBattlefront.
Battlefront 1and2saw their fair share of controversy in different ways. 2015’sStar Wars Battlefrontsaw ire from fans because of its complete lack of single-player story as well as any narrative importance. Then in 2017,Battlefront 2saw an equal (if not more) amount of ire from fansfor its predatory microtransactions that provided in-game advantages. It’s unfortunate but needs to be addressed in the future if moreBattlefrontgames are to be developed, with the current version of the game providing a solid mockup for what a presumableBattlefront 3should look like. Rather than planning an ambitious content plan across months, DICE would do well to focus on the content coming to the game initially and make sure there aren’t any systems like loot boxes that significantly alter the game’s status.
Jedi Fallen Order: Investing in Compelling Narratives
On the other side, there’s some lasting hope from games likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player-only RPG set in theStar Warsuniverse. Respawn Entertainment, known for its work onTitanfallandApex Legends, came out of nowhere with a third-personStar WarsRPG inspired byDark SoulsandMetroid. This was the first narrative-driven single-playerStar Warsstory to come from the EA partnership, from a developer who until 2019 had only developed shooters.Fallen Ordercame out to mostly positive reviews, completely devoid of any controversy from microtransactions or anything that severely hampered the gameplay experience.
These are the kind of games that epitomize theStar Warsuniverse in video games, and are exactly the style of games EA should double-down into. Narrative-driven experiences in theStar Warsuniverse, canon or not, are exactly why fans love the franchise. As much as theBattlefrontseries has been an interesting soldier’s perspective, most fans want to be placed in the hero’s shoes. Cal Kestis inJedi: Fallen Orderwas the perfect opportunity because he was basically a newly-minted Jedi, justifying progression and learning new abilities in a brand new universe. There’s a reason why fans expressed interest in the cancelled Darth Maul standalone game as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hero or villain, as there’s a clearinterest from fans for independent stories in theStar Warsuniversefrom characters old and new.
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Squadrons: Finding Something Completely New
Then there are the games that are completely new, whether it’s a new gameplay concept or a story as yet untold in theStar Warsuniverse. EA has given a glimpse of this already withSquadrons, a squad-based dogfighting epic set in theStar WarsuniversebetweenReturn of the JediandThe Force Awakens. Developing games dedicated to a specific niche in theStar Warsuniverse, likeSquadronsor even earlier withShadows of the Empire, proves that there’s merit in finding new areas of the universe worth exploring in depth. WhereFallen Orderplaced players in the shoes of a Jedi hero, games likeSquadronsfind heroes in specific corners of theStar Warsuniverse often unexplored.
One interesting concept would be to explore narrative episode-based content similar toLife is Strangeor any of the Telltale stories likeThe Walking Dead.Star Warsgames have done well in the past with depicting certain perspectives from around the universe, which is perfect for choice-based narrative games. Another option EA could explore is a story-based shooter akin to that ofStar Wars: Republic Commando, or likethe cancelledStar Warsgame being developed by Visceral Games. There’s potential in experimentation in theStar Warsuniverse that EA clearly recognizes and would do well to move forward with.
AlthoughEA has several times cancelled these ambitious titles, this effort to “double-down” could be in response to the fans expressing interest in cancelled concepts that are eventually reported on by news outlets and leaks.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordercould be a reflection of this desire as well, perhaps testing the waters with one of EA’s best development studios on a very differentStar Warsgame compared toBattlefront. Now that games likeSquadronsare coming out, EA could right the ship in a big way.
