2022 has gotten off to a very good start for a large portion ofStar Warsfans, as January has been marked by various long-awaited releases and surprise announcements.The Book of Boba Fetthas been going strong since it first started at the end of 2021, The High Republic publishing initiative is nearing the dramatic conclusion of its first phase, and after months of anticipation,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagafinally has a solid release date. To seemingly top off a month full of bigStar Warsnews, EA has announced that it’s currently developing a whopping three new games set in the galaxy far, far away.
In the time that EA has had the exclusive rights to make majorStar Warsgames, the company has built up a rather tenuous relationship with the franchise’s fan base. Much of it has been marked by disappointment, but there have been some shining moments with releases likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Now that EA’s exclusivity license is coming to an end, there arevariousStar Warsprojects from other developers on the horizon, and EA seems prepared to fight for its place in theStar Warsgaming space with these new titles from developer Respawn Entertainment.
RELATED:New Star Wars Games Aren’t Likely to Focus on the Series' Future
The Sequel To Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
Before this announcement,the sequel toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderhad been one of the most anticipated mysteries that many fans were waiting to hear about. EA’s first story-based, single-player adventure in theStar Warsuniverse was a big hit both critically and commercially, providing fans with aStar Warsgaming experience unlike nearly anything that had come before it. While EA never formally announced that a sequel was in development, internal statements and various other points of speculation pointed toward the game’s future existence being all but certain.
Fans are now able to stop holding their breath over whether a sequel toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderhappening, and although there still isn’t a trailer, EA has given slivers of information that could prove to be enlightening. In terms of the game’s overall direction, Respawn game director Stig Asmussen will be calling the shots on the sequel just as he did for the first installment. The most curious bit of information, however, comes from the official announcement calling the game, “the next installment in theStar Wars Jedistory.“This could imply that the game won’t be calledFallen Order 2like some have speculated, which is sure to inspire discussions on what the sequel will be called and what it will mean for the overall story.
Respawn’s New Star Wars FPS
Along with the initial surprise of aStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordersequel being made official, EA revealed thatRespawn will also be developing a newStar WarsFPS. The FPS genre isn’t one thatStar Warsis particularly known for, but when the franchise has gone down that path, it has proven to be successful.Star Wars: Dark Forcesis the one game that many cite as the definitiveStar WarsFPS experience, along with theJedi Knightgames that followed it. The lastStar Warsgame to be a dedicated FPS was the recently remasteredRepublic Commando, which also remains one of the quintessentialStar Warsgaming experiences.
EA’s announcement wasn’t very forthcoming on information regarding this new FPS, but it was revealed that industry veteran Peter Hirschmann will serve as game director. Hirschmann has been a staple ofStar Warsgaming for years, as he served as VP of development for Lucasarts where he played a part in the development of games likeThe Force Unleashedandthe originalBattlefrontseries. For fans that long for theStar Warsgaming experiences of ten to fifteen years ago, Hirschmann’s involvement in this new FPS should be an assuring sign that the project is in good hands.
RELATED:Star Wars Battlefront 3 is Reportedly Not in Development
Respawn’s New Star Wars Strategy Game
As if the surprise of a newStar WarsFPS wasn’t enough, EA also announced thata newStar Warsstrategy game is in developmentfrom Respawn and developer Bit Reactor. Just asStar Warsisn’t usually known for FPS titles, the franchise hasn’t had many major strategy releases over the years. The last traditionalStar Warsstrategy game was 2006’sEmpire at WarRTS, developed by Petroglyph Games. Considering the vast majority ofStar Warsgames have relied on third-person action-adventures, this new entry has an opportunity to be a nice change of pace for some fans.
Information is also very slim on this new project, but what is known could be a very good sign for the game’s future. ThisStar Warsstrategy game won’t be exclusively developed by Respawn, as the studio will instead act as producer while the newly formed Bit Reactor will manage development. Led by industry veteran Greg Foertsch,Bit Reactor consists of various developers that worked on the popularXCOMseries, and their expertise should prove to be very useful for a newStar Warstitle. It will certainly be an unfamiliar direction for the franchise, so there should be some comfort in knowing that experienced minds are behind it.
After the announcements ofKnights of the Old Republic RemakeandStar Wars: Eclipseat the tail end of 2021, theStar Wars' gaming momentum shows no signs of slowing down after these reveals so early in the year. There’s no official timetable on any of the games that were revealed by EA, but considering that the success ofJedi: Fallen Orderis likely what has allowed all of these projects to go into production into the first place, it’s possible that the sequel could come first. Until more official news is divulged by EA, fans will just have to sit back and build up their anticipation for what could be an exciting new chapter forStar Warsgaming.
SeveralStar Warsprojects are now in development.
MORE:LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’s Level of Freedom Should be the New LEGO Standard
