E3 has come and gone yet again. We have had our typical big name titles announced Resident Evil 7, God of War (set in Norse Mythology), and Mass Effect Andromeda to name a few. We also got a small glimpse into the future of Star Wars gaming thanks in large part to EA.
First we will start out with Star Wars Battlefront. As we know it was released late last year and has been a hit amongst the Fandom and even drew people away from huge FPS games like Battlefield and Call of Duty. EA/Dice plans to add even more content during the year as they work toward the release of Battlefront 2 in 2017. There will be 3 more Free digital expansions by the end of the year. We will be transported to Bespin, the Death Star, and a yet undisclosed location in December. My money on that third location will be something out of Rogue One seeing as the first DLC that came out was set on Jakku right before The Force Awakens came out. Dice is also working with Criterion on an Exclusive Battlefront VR Mission for the PS4 VR that is due out later this year.
Coming in 2018 EA and Visceral Games (Dead Space, Battlefield) will be bringing you an original Star Wars narrative. EA has acquired the services of Amy Hennig (writer and Director of the first 3 Uncharted games) to helm the project. Visceral Games is working closely with the Lucasfilm Story Group to help maintain continuity within the Star Wars Universe. The rumor going around as of right now is that the game itself will be centered around Han Solo and its game style will be heavily influenced in the style of Uncharted.
Respawn Entertainment (Titanfall) is currently working on a 3rd person action adventure game. There is no official release date or title announced as of yet. Respawn has gone on record to say that the game will be set during a timeline in the Star Wars Universe that have yet to see come to life. Could we be looking at a game set prior to the Prequels? Could this be the cancelled 1313 come back to life? All we can do is speculate and wait.
Traveler’s Tales unveiled a new trailer for Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens. One of the big reveals for game is that it will include content set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. They also revealed that a demo is out now for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 owners to enjoy. Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens is slated for a June 28, 2016 release for PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS.
On the mobile front, EA’s surprise hit Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, got a small mention. The main take away is that they are promising more characters, more locations, and more events. Personally I am waiting on them to finally release Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker. If you haven’t given it a shot and are into mobile gaming it is worth it. You can already collect from the entire Star Wars saga, including Clone Wars. No Rebels characters yet but I am sure they are on the way.
Lastly for PC The Old Republic turns 5 in December. The MMORPG had its most recent expansion late last year. BioWare has promised new stories and new game features to be available throughout the year.
Whatever your gameplay style, the future of Star Wars gaming looks bright. I for one am excited to see what we get. All the new stories and characters that will be canon is pretty exciting. It is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Embrace it and enjoy the ride. May the Force Be with you all.
This article was written by Randy Guiles.
