In the 1980s, 8Star Warsvideo games were released. That jumped to a total of 37 new releases during the 1990s, which in turn jumped even higher to a total of 61 new releases in the 2000s. For many, this period of the 90s and 2000s was the high point forStar Warsvideo games, as games likeDark Forces, Jedi Academy, Knights of the Old Republic, andThe Force Unleashedhit the market.
While 49 were released in the 2010s, the vast majority of them were smaller, mobile games. That isn’t to say that previous years weren’t full of smaller video games, but the sheer number of big, AAA-levelStar Warsgames seemed to drop as the 2010s went on. Many point toEA’sStar Warsexclusivity contractfor this, as while it has lasted for about 8-9 years at this point, EA has only published about 15Star Warsprojects with 7 of those beingexpansions forThe Old RepublicMMO.
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The slowdown is even more obvious when looking at the 2020s so far: two games last year, one slated for release this year, and two slated for next year. It feels as if it slowing down, even if the quality isn’t necessarily deviating much (lots of smaller games, some bigger games).
Yet, it seems there-establishment of Lucasfilm Gamesis to prevent that slow down from happening again, and the past year alone has seen the announcement, confirmation, or brand new rumor for various, hopefully big,Star Warsgames. Some, it seems, are concerned over this, particularly with Quantic Dream reportedly working on aStar Warsgame. However, it seems that moreStar Warsgames are exactly what the franchise needs right now.
Star Wars Games Confirmed, Rumored to Be In Development
EA’s exclusivity contract still has some time left in it, and it’s likely EA announces or releases an unknown project or two before it does end. But Disney and Lucasfilm Games have been busy, seemingly cutting deals left and right to ensure that there is a plethora ofStar Warscontent coming right out of the gate, so to speak. TheKOTOR Remakealone is a big deal, but a list ofrumored and confirmedStar Warsgameswould easily include the following:
If the golden years of Star Wars games proved anything, it’s that a lot of games don’t equate to quality, but that in that rough, a lot of quality games do emerge. Nothing that has been announced, confirmed, or rumored thus far sounds anything less than quality, suggesting the current direction that Lucasfilm Games wants the brand to take. However, at the same time, a flood or steady stream at least is better than the dwindling releases fans have seen over recent years.
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Why More Star Wars Games are a Good Thing
The biggest problem, thus far, it seems with fans is the issue of licensed properties from some developers. Particularly with Quantic Dream, many fans have expressed the desire for the developer to pursue more original IPs than licensed ones, as it has made a name for itself with games likeHeavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, andDetroit: Become Human. However, since 1999, the studio has developed 5 games that have been primarily on PlayStation consoles due to a deal between it and Sony.
As that deal came to an end, Quantic Dream has expressed the desire to work on multiplatform games, to work on multiple games at one time, and to take on its own publishing. In other words, Quantic Dream wants to grow, and if it’s what the developer wants, working on aStar Warsgame and a Quantic Dreamoriginal IP at the same time seems like a worthwhile goal.
The thing with licensed property is, sure, there has historically been a lot out there. At one point, every movie practically got a video game release alongside them, leading to a time period where superhero games were nothing but release fodder essentially. Now, that seems to have changed. There is an increasing amount ofMarvel and DC gameson the market, and while that may not all hit the same level of popularity asMarvel’s Spider-Man(which remains to be seen for a lot of titles), they do seem to have a higher focus on quality than ever.
To have that shift in quality, there has to be more games. Not that the past fewStar Warsgames haven’t been quality, but that to really push the envelope, there needs to be more hands in the cookie jar. Bringing in Ubisoft, Aspyr, and others such as Quantic Dream to put out moreStar Warsgames means increased competition, which in turn, should theoretically lead to betterStar Warsgames. Ifsuperhero games have hit their resurgenceand are capitalizing on it,Star Warshas every right and ability to do the same, while holding no one developer back but embracing multiple ideas by expanding.
SeveralStar Warsgames are in development.
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