Lucasfilm Games returned to the scene in 2021 after an almost ten-year hiatus from the industry. Lucasfilm Games was born from the ashes of Lucasarts which was the premiere publisher for all Star Wars games. The studio would publish other Lucasfilm property games such as Indiana Jones, but Star Wars was its bread and butter. It also made the largest impact in the industry. Lucasarts would publish some of the most iconic games in the Star Wars inventory: Rogue Squadron, the Jedi Knight series, the Force Unleashed, and others that would go on to be genre defining titans such as the case with Knights of the Old Republic I and II.
Despite the studio being a mainstay in the gaming industry, and that itself may even be an understatement, the studio was shuttered in 2013. Much of this was due to Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm, but it also caused the loss of most of the jobs and cancellation of dozens of projects. Disney/Lucasfilm (herein referred interchangeably) opted to sign the sole ability to publish games to - now I’ll hold your hand as you read this - Electronic Arts by signing a multi-year exclusive license. That's right, Disney had handed the keys to one of the most rich and storied franchises to arguably the worst video game publisher.
The new generation of Star Wars games was released in November 2015 in a rebook of the classic Star Wars Battlefront. The new outing was visually and technically impressive, but was barren by restricting itself to only a small handful of planets, modes, only one era, and no campaign - an egregious omission. 2017’s Battlefront II would rectify this mistake by including a compelling, albeit short two-part campaign. Additionally, players could fight across the galaxy in all three eras of the franchise. The installment would continue the high visual and technical standard set in its predecessor. However, any good will would be vastly overshadowed by the heinous microtransactions and star card gambling controversy. This would be removed from the game in later updates, but the damage was done.
Hope remained though, as Respawn Entertainment’s 2019 Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order took fans by surprise by delivering a gripping story, compelling characters, and engaging souls-like gameplay. The game was a smash hit and delivered a sequel in 2023’s Jedi Survivor, continuing Cal Kestis and company’s story. A third installment was announced to be in development not long after Survivor’s release, keeping fans invested in the series and, frankly, the franchise as a whole. 2020 also witnessed the release of Star Wars: Squadrons, where players would follow two teams of ace pilots from the Rebellion and Empire, respectively. The game, while smaller in scale and reach, was a hit particularly with the flight simulator crowds.
Unfortunately, that's where the winning streak ends with the current generation of Star Wars gaming. In the past 10 years, only seven AAA games have seen the light of day, to arguably mixed results. Battlefront I was a limited, uninspired initial outing. Battlefront II was marred by greedy business practices and had its post-release support shortened. Squadrons was a success but with a limited player base and post launch support. The same can be said with Outlaws which was released to lukewarm reception and an equally short post launch support. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was also released in 2022, and was successful for its massive open world exploration, but the game can be considered more of a Lego game than a Star Wars game and therefore is not too seriously considered The Jedi games have thus far been the only certified success in the new generation of Star Wars Games.
Aside from the spotty track record thus far, there is also a lack of incoming content. While fans know that a third installment in the Jedi series is on the way, details are scarce at the time of writing but it is confirmed to be the conclusion of that series. Fans are anxious to see where the conclusion takes the crew of the Mantis, but the Jedi finale is the only Star Wars game that we’re certain is coming out. There have been several announcements, each amassing wild fan anticipation and excitement that have received no more than an announcement trailer and radio silence. A remake of Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) was announced at Sony's State of Play in 2020. For the uninitiated, KOTOR is a role playing game released in 2003 on the original XBox console. With revolutionary graphics, gameplay, and mechanics, and above all a compelling story from Drew Karpyshyn, KOTOR won game of the year in 2003. The game would take its place as not only a Star Wars fan favorite, but one of the most beloved video games of all time and spawn an equally revolutionary sequel. Since then the project has swapped developers, been stopped, restarted, and has generally been shrouded in mystery. There have been no official updates of import other than it is effectively not cancelled.
Star Wars Eclipse has even less details available. Also unveiled in 2020 the game revealed a visually captivating teaser trailer. Revealing little to no plot details, audiences were treated to a wide array of species and landscapes, putting the hopefully wide gameplay variety on full display. Developed by Quantic Dream of Detroit: Become Human fame, Eclipse is set to take place during the Old Republic era. This newer time frame was relatively unexplored at the time and the game would seek to tie into the multi-media project expanding the timeline several hundred years before the prequels. As promising as the game seems, it too treated fans to a thrilling cinematic trailer, followed by nothing but radio silence.
It is perfectly reasonable that newer technology and software do indeed extend development time. However, it is the blatant radio silence and lack of respect towards would-be players and fans that makes the practice unacceptable. Star Wars, particularly their games, have a built in fan base because of both the property itself and legacy in the industry - especially KOTOR. This paired with the fact that a minority of the few releases in the past 13 years have been undeniable successes has lead
For several decades Lucasarts was an industry standard in pushing the envelope in what video games can be, all while maintaining high standards of a final product. At its peak, the studio was able to publish several games in the same year. It is time to ask Lucasfilm, Lucasfilm Games, and Disney one important question: what gives? Star Wars video games have always been a staple in any avid gamer’s collection. To be frank, the current state of Star Wars video games is disappointing. Perhaps this is an unfortunate reflection of the current state of the brand. Perhaps it is a change in the market. The fans, the property, and the industry all deserve more from the current generation of Lucasfilm Games.