Star Wars: Eclipse is an upcoming game being developed by Quantic Dream, but it is still in its early stages.
Confirmed at The Game Awards 2021, we still have a lot to learn, including its release date. However, we do know that it is set in the High Republic aesthetic era of the Star Wars saga. We also have an impressive CGI trailer and some key details to work with.
Star Wars: Eclipse seems to differ from Quantic Dream's previous works, which previously brought us Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human. The studio is mostly known for story-driven experiences, and while that will always be the case with Star Wars: Eclipse, the developer is placing more emphasis on the action this time around.
Star Wars: Eclipse stands out, according to a Quantic Dream press release, as the team's "most ambitious project to date." So while details are scant at the moment, we've rounded up everything we know about the new Star Wars game so far.
Star Wars: Eclipse: Straight to the point
- What is it? A narrative action adventure set in the Star Wars universe
- When can I play it? TBC, but probably not for some time.
- What can I play in? To confirm
Star Wars: Eclipse release date and platforms
Unfortunately, Quantic Dream seems too early in development for Star Wars: Eclipse to provide a solid release date. While development is still in its early stages, we think we probably won't see Star Wars: Eclipse on store shelves for a long time.
If we were to speculate, we'd have to say that Star Wars: Eclipse will be released in 2024, though that could certainly be an ambitious prediction. It's worth noting that the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake will likely release in 2023 as well, so there's plenty of AAA Star Wars goodness to look forward to a few years from now.
Shortly after the game was announced, industry insider Tom Henderson tweeted to say (opens in a new tab) that he expects the game to be in at least 3-4 years. However, in March 2022, he reported (opens in a new tab) that an internal delay may have occurred and we may be looking at a 2027-2028 release window.
Speaking to GamesRadar(opens in a new tab) about the delay rumors, Quantic Dream said, "Star Wars Eclipse has not been delayed because Quantic Dream has never announced or promised a release window for the title." With no publicly announced release window or date given by Quantic Dream, it's unclear if Star Wars Eclipse has been delayed internally or when we'll get our hands on it. A few years seems like a safe bet.
Platforms haven't been confirmed yet either, but we expect Star Wars: Eclipse to at least come to PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. Given how far away it is, there's virtually no chance of it coming to next-gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One.
Trailers of Star Wars: Eclipse
Game Awards 2021 CGI Trailer
Following rumors of its existence, Quantic Dream has finally broken the silence on its Star Wars game with a stunning CGI trailer debuting at The Game Awards 2021. While we can't speak yet as to what game Star Wars: Eclipse will end up becoming, it looks like we'll be coming together and (playing) a diverse roster of characters.
Recognizable Star Wars characters like Yoda are also briefly seen in the trailer, so a crossover with the films' core timeline seems likely.
Star Wars: Eclipse Story and setting
Star Wars: Eclipse will be the first game "set in an unexplored region of the Outer Rim during the time of the High Republic, known as the Golden Age of the Jedi," the Quantic Dream press release notes. The High Republic era takes place hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga, when the Galactic Republic was at its height.
We don't currently know exactly how Quantic Dream plans to explore this lesser-known aspect of the Star Wars universe. But we do know that we will be taking control of various characters throughout the story, as is often the case with Quantic Dream games.
Given the developer, expect a variety of branching paths to play out based on your choices in the narrative. This is likely to drastically change the story, including the final ending.
Star Wars: Eclipse News and Rumors
Read on for the latest development news and rumors on Star Wars: Eclipse. Official news is scant at the moment, but we'll do our best to keep this section updated as we learn more about Quantic Dream's ambitious project.
Disney wants biannual Star Wars games
It probably won't surprise you to learn that, according to a new report from Insider Gaming(opens in a new tab), Disney plans to release two Star Wars games a year. According to this source, the company is looking for a "Star Wars triple-A title" every year and a smaller one in between. Right now, including Eclipse, there are about eight announced projects.
Eclipse retains the fundamentals of previous Quantic Dream games
Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière said that Star Wars Eclipse wouldn't look too different from his previous games. Speaking in a recent interview with IGN Japan, he confirmed:
"I think with every new title, we try to innovate, we try to break new ground. With Star Wars Eclipse, we're definitely going to keep the core elements of a Quantic Dream game: a very strong story, very strong characters, multiple playable characters, and , of course, giving players the ability to change, through their actions and decisions, how the story unfolds.
Elaborating further, De Fondaumière also said:
“Where the formula changes, we've made it very clear that we're doing an action-adventure, so the action elements will be very important as well. That's something we can talk about in the future, but keep that in mind. The spirit is an action adventure.
When we got the chance to work on Star Wars, we immediately said yes because we were drawn to it. But we will continue to do what we do best, which is to work with passion, create our game with great attention to detail, and with Star Wars Eclipse we want to bring a completely new and original story to the Star Wars universe... We really wanted to make a Star Wars game, this particular franchise that we grew up with, discovered and were in awe of as kids.
Developers debunk rumors of delay
Quantic Dream, the studio behind Star Wars: Eclipse, recently debunked reports of the game being delayed.
In March 2022, Xfire's Tom Henderson (opens in a new tab) published a report stating that the game, which he initially estimated to be 3-4 years old, could have a 2027-2028 release window after that. of an internal delay. Henderson said in the report that the studio was struggling to attract talented developers to help create the game, noting repeated job offers.
However, in a press release issued the same month (via VGC - opens in a new tab)), Quantic Dream said that it is "calmly pursuing the separate development of its three in-house productions. Now that pre-production and prototypes have been completed, 2022 will mark another step forward in the production phases of these three unique titles."
In a separate statement to GamesRadar (opens in a new tab), apparently in response to the rumors, a studio spokesperson said, "Star Wars Eclipse has not been delayed because Quantic Dream has never announced or promised a release window for the game. qualification". They added that "recruitment remains active while it works on Star Wars Eclipse, third-party posts, and unannounced projects."
original leaks
We first learned of the potential existence of Star Wars: Eclipse in September 2021, where reports leaked that Quantic Dream had begun development on a Star Wars project.
Later in November, Venturebeat's Jeff Grubb claimed the project was real and set in the High Republic era (opens in a new tab) of the Star Wars universe. Both leaks ended up being correct, as the Star Wars: Eclipse trailer and press release confirm these details.
Star Wars: Eclipse: what we want to see
Better storytelling
It's not so much a Star Wars problem as it is a Quantic Dream problem. If we're being brutally honest, while the developer's games are generally fun and chaotic, they certainly leave a lot to be desired in terms of deep and heartfelt storytelling.
Quantic Dream's narratives are often quite clunky in their execution and are often left open for the potential of mature memes. After all, who could forget the legendary "Jason!" from Ethan Mars! (opens in a new tab) scream from Heavy Rain?
We're not saying that Quantic Dream is incapable of quality storytelling. This is absolutely not the case. But judging by the Star Wars: Eclipse trailer, we're in for a much more melancholic and potentially darker story than we're used to from the franchise. Hopefully, together with Lucasfilm Games, the developer can deliver a story worth remembering.
quality inventory
It's fair to say that action games aren't really Quantic Dream's forte, but we're more than happy to see the developer branch out into other styles of play. Action games in previous Quantic Dream games are event-driven. fast paced and other scripted sequences.
We're not necessarily asking for quality levels of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order here. But we'd like to see at least a decently competent set of potentially learnable combat scenarios, abilities, skills, and upgrades.
cross platform version
Sony's Quantic Dream run of exclusives has come to an end in keeping with the release of Detroit: Become Human, so we'd like to see Star Wars: Eclipse released on more systems than just the PS5. If the developer wants to go for graphical fidelity, as they often do, then PC is a must, but to ensure the game reaches as many fans as possible, we hope an Xbox Series S/X version is on the cards as well.