AfterStar Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sithhit movie theaters, there were a good few years whenStar Warshype died down almost completely. While long-time fans were still obviously avid supporters,Star Warsfaded away from the mainstream, just as it did afterReturn of the Jedi. But when Disney took over, the franchise got an adrenaline shot, and now everyone’s feed is constantly flooded withStar Warsmovies, Disney Plus shows, and video games. Of all the upcomingStar Warsprojects, Respawn’sStar Warsstrategy game may just be the most intriguing.
Back in January of this year, EA and Lucasfilm Games announced a slew ofStar Warsvideo game projects, most of which had just entered the very early stages of development. Along with anotherJedigame, which ended up beingStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, and a new Respawn first-person shooter, Respawn also announced that it was working alongside new studio Bit Reactor on a brand newStar Warsstrategy game. With the last few years ofStar Warsgames being exceedingly action-heavy, a new strategy title could be a real standout.
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Star Wars Strategy Games Have Always Been a Breath of Fresh Air
Star Warshas had a very long history in the gaming landscape, with its veryfirst game,Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, appearing on the Atari 2600 in 1982. Since then, the video game market has seen aStar Warsrelease nearly every other year, with flight simulators, first-person shooters, third-person action games, and even FMV games all getting their hands on theStar Warslicense. While some of these genres have come and gone, the strategy genre has always been a standout when paired with theStar Warsbrand.
The first strategy game from a galaxy far, far away wasStar Wars: Rebellion, released in 1998. Though it was an incredibly ambitious4X strategy game,Rebellionwas a little too complicated for newcomers, and its mechanics didn’t mesh with theStar Warslicense all too well. The same issues would arise inStar Wars: Force Commander, an overly complicated real-time strategy game released in 2000.
Just a year later, however,Star Wars: Galactic Battlegroundswould release, delivering on the potential of aStar Warsstrategy game. Though it copies the vast majority of itsmechanics fromAge of Empires2,Galactic Battlegroundsis an intuitive RTS and base-builder that acts as the perfect introduction to the genre for newcomers, while also including some advanced mechanics for genre aficionados.Star Wars: Galactic Battlegroundssold very well, and it lives on today as one of the most underratedStar Warsgames ever made.
FollowingStar Wars: Galactic Battlegroundswas a tough task, and it would take another five years beforeStar Warsreturned to the strategy game genre, but when it did, it broke new ground.Star Wars: Empire at Warreleased in 2005 for PC, and shone through accessibility. Gameplay is split into three distinct segments, starting with an overview of space, where players move their units to different planets and manage each system’s structures and resources. There are then two different attack phases, one focusing on ground combat, and one on space, each with unique units and objectives. All three gameplay segments are kept extremely simple, with only a slight amount of strategy determining the victor. Though hardcore strategy game fans were disappointed withEmpire at War’s simplicity, it was ideal for those new to the genre.
Star Wars: Empire at Waralso acted as a breath of fresh air at the time of its release. In the mid-2000s, to coincide with the release of the prequels and all the newStar Warshype,Star Warsvideo games were being pumped out at an incredible rate. The originalStar Wars: Battlefrontgames, theJedi Knightseries,Star Wars: Republic Commando, and the movie tie-in games all released within just a few years of one another, with a lot of overlap. The market was flooded withStar Warsgames, most of which were action-based titles. In this crowd,Star Wars: Empire at Warmanaged to stand out, which is exactly what Respawn and Bit Reactor’sStar Warsstrategy game can do.
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Now is the Perfect Time for a New Star Wars Strategy Game
Right now, theStar Warsgaming landscape is looking a little similar to how it did back in the mid-2000s. With the hype of the DisneyStar Warsmovies dictating development schedules, the last few years have seen a flurry ofStar Warsvideo games, not all of which have been of equal quality. While theStar Wars: Battlefrontduology had some great ideas, EA’s microtransaction practices left fans rightfully disappointed.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas a good step up, offering some surprisingly difficult but rewardingSekiro-inspired combat.Star Wars: Squadronswas a solid flight simulator, but didn’t quite capture the attention of the mainstream, andLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagawas an impressive outing for a LEGO game, but had its fair share of flaws.
One thing ties all of theseStar Warsgames together: their place in the action genre. Though each title has its own specific gameplay type, the overarching theme is that each one is heavily based around fast-paced action, whether it’s a first-person shooter, a third-person action game, or a dogfighter. Right now is the perfect time for aStar Warsstrategy game to come in and break the mold.
Respawn and Bit Reactor’s newStar Warsstrategy gameis being helmed by ex-Firaxis devs, some of whom have had over two decades of experience in the industry, specifically working with strategy titles. While this new strategy game is sure to include plenty of intense battles, it should also hopefully offer plenty of downtime, where players can plan out their next move, and hopefully manage an entire galaxy’s worth of troops and ships. This layer of strategy gameplay should be distinct enough from theBattlefrontseries, and the otherStar Warsreleases over the last few years, that it stands out from the crowd upon its eventual release.
Respawn Entertainment’sStar Warsstrategy gameis in development.
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