Respawn, the developer behind Jedi: Fallen Order and Apex Legends, is creating three new video games set in the Star War universe.
Along with another entry in the Star Wars Jedi series, which will follow Fallen Order in 2019, Respawn is also developing a Star Wars first-person shooter and strategy game.
The Star Wars Jedi title will be helmed by game director Stig Asmussen, who previously worked on Fallen Order and God of War 3, EA announced.
Meanwhile, development on the untitled first-person shooter is being led by Peter Hirschmann, who previously contributed to the original Star Wars: Battlefront games, Star Wars: Force Unleashed, and the first Medal of Honor. Work on the game has just started.
Respawn will also develop a new Star Wars strategy game in conjunction with Bit Reactor, a newly formed studio founded by the developers of the XCOM and Civilization series. Greg Foerstch, who previously served as art director on XCOM 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and also contributed to a slate of Civilization titles, will direct the project.
"Working with Lucasfilm Games on a new FPS set in the Star Wars galaxy is a dream come true for me, because it's a story I've always wanted to tell," said Hirschmann.
"We're huge Star Wars fans here at Respawn and we're excited to be working with Lucasfilm Games on new titles we've wanted to do for years," added Respawn founder Vince Zampella, who will oversee the new titles. .
EA did not give any expected release dates or platform details for the upcoming games, other than to say that work on all three has already begun.
Analysis: Star Wars can get the variety it deserves
For all its acclaim, popularity, and source material, Star Wars has had a mixed relationship with video games for a number of years. After Disney signed an exclusive deal with EA in 2013, the publisher had (almost) exclusive control of the Star Wars video games, some of which fared better than others.
But aside from debacles like Battlefront 2's aggressive loot box system and buggy launch, EA's Star Wars offerings have also been decidedly limited. 2020's flight sim Star Wars: Squadrons brought some variety to the list, but every one of EA's recent video games set in the galaxy far, far away has been an action-focused shooter (or lightsaber). . The news that Respawn has three more Star Wars games in the works gives us some hope that they will be different.
While we can expect the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order to build on the original's Metroidvania gameplay and narrative focus, who knows where the other two untitled games will go next. Respawn will most likely tap into his kinetic combat expertise, which he has honed through the Titanfall series and Apex Legends, to produce a Star Wars FPS that goes beyond the usual competitive multiplayer shooter we've seen in the game. Battlefront series.
Similarly, the scope of a new Star Wars strategy title is immense. Whether Bit Reactor veterans rely on their experience with XCOM's real-time tactics or Civilization's 4X turn-based gameplay, any scale of strategy will be welcome. The last strategy game set in the Star Wars universe was Empire at War, and while its combination of RTS space warfare and grand campaigns was well received, it was released in 2006.
EA has been playing it safe for the last nine years. Their Star Wars games are set in familiar locations and designed to appeal to the broader market. Given how much source material is out there, it can afford to be a little outlandish, and Respawn's current gamble on Star Wars could be a sign of that.
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