It should come as no surprise that there are even more Star Wars games in development, especially given that the franchise continues to flourish despite its numerous public failings. However, as unsurprising as it may be, it is nevertheless pleasing to learn that Lucasfilm is actively seeking out compatible studios with which to develop the next era of Star Wars video games. It gives one hope of sequels to beloved series and entirely new experiences that perhaps chart a course in a lesser-known part of Star Wars' expansive galaxy.
Evidently, Lucasfilm and its Disney overlords have decided to finally capitalize on the Star Wars IP within the world of video games, with the success of recent titles like Galactic Racer and Zero Company showcasing the fruits of their endeavor. With a wide range of possible avenues for new games, Lucasfilm has a lot to offer fans and a strong footing from which to dominate the industry. Fortunately, its recent confirmation of several games in production illustrates that it is finally taking those first steps.
There are obviously several Star Wars video games already in development, the vast majority of which come from recognizable studios and big-name talent. It makes sense that Disney would want to partner with studios like EA and Respawn Entertainment in a bid to release blockbuster titles akin to the films.
However, while that strategy has worked for the most part, it is also contingent on only a handful of games doing extremely well, as the output for AAA titles is slow and infrequent at best. What Star Wars needs are smaller titles with grand ambitions, if only to create a greater pool of experiences for fans to enjoy and for shareholders to hedge their bets on.
Well, it seems as if Lucasfilm agrees, as the vice president of Lucasfilm Games, Douglas Reilly, has outwardly confirmed that its approach to developing new titles within the Star Wars universe is drastically changing. In an interview on The Game Business podcast, Reilly discussed how the move to stick with big-brand developers is shifting almost as a direct consequence of working with the likes of Fuse Games on Galactic Racer to target smaller developers with big ideas. He explained:
"You don’t have to necessarily be a top five publisher to make a great Star Wars game. We have a high-quality bar, and we want to make sure there are excellent experiences, and that means typically you work with more experienced teams than, you know, new teams who have no track record of making great things."
Crucially, Rilley also teased the kinds of projects Lucasfilm Games is making with these aforementioned smaller studios. He said that, alongside the likes of a brand-new Battlefront game, fans can expect Lucasfilm Games to "explore all kinds of things, large and small, with partners that I think are going to continue to surprise folks." Ostensibly, this is as close as we can expect to an official announcement of new Star Wars games on the horizon, and that said games will likely look a lot more like Zero Company and Galactic Racer than Star Wars Jedi.
That's not to say we won't be getting more blockbuster Star Wars titles like Outlaws, but that it won't be the only type of experience fans can expect. Frankly, that's a good thing, as the Star Wars universe has always felt too big to simply cater to movie tie-in titles, first-person shooters, and third-person adventure games. There are all sorts of weird and experimental avenues the Star Wars brand could go within the world of video games, and it will be immensely exciting seeing which Lucasfilm Games elects to take.
