EA is far from finished with the Star Wars universe. The publisher is working on three new Star Wars games, all of which are being overseen in one form or another by developer Respawn Entertainment. The games comprise a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, an FPS, and a strategy game. No release dates have been offered for any of the new games.
The new game in the Star Wars: Jedi series – which was confirmed to be the start of a franchise shortly after its 2019 release – will once again be directed by Stig Asmussen, who led development of the first game as well as God of War 3.
The Jedi: Fallen Order sequel will be joined by two additional games set in the Star Wars universe, both of them as yet untitled. One will be a first-person shooter led by Peter Hirschmann, who previously served as VP of development at LucasArts, has a long history of working with Lucasfilm, and co-created Medal of Honor.
The other will be a strategy game developed by Bit Reactor, a recently-formed studio composed of Firaxis Games veterans best-known for their work on the XCOM franchise. Bit Reactor will work closely with Respawn on the new project.
Respawn founder and Group GM Vince Zampella will oversee this new three-game initiative, which EA characterizes as "a new phase of EA's relationship with Lucasfilm."
“Out Of the Blue”
The announcements solidify EA's immediate future with the Star Wars franchise, which faced questions after Lucasfilm announced that Ubisoft would be developing a new game based on the series. Prior to that announcement, EA had been the exclusive developer of Star Wars games since 2013, its releases including two Star Wars: Battlefront games, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Squadrons, and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
"We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, which will continue for years to come," EA said at the time.
While work has begun on all three games, Bit Reactor's strategy game looks to be the earliest in development, as the studio was revealed just last week. According to Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foerstch, the deal came together "out of the blue."
"We had been building a few prototypes and concepts for games and we were chatting with our friends at Respawn about a few of them when out of the blue I got a call from Vince and he asked me my thoughts on making a Star Wars game," Foerstch says. "I had one of the most important voices in the industry asking me about creating a game within the most impactful franchise in the world and richest storylines in the history of entertainment. So here we are, and I can't express how excited we are to be building a Star Wars strategy game here at Bit Reactor."
Foerstch says Bit Reactor's focus is to tap the "full potential" of turn-based tactics games in a way that "blurs the line between strategy and action." The studio's strong history with the XCOM series suggests that it will take a similar approach with Star Wars.
Hirschmann, meanwhile, says the upcoming Star Wars FPS is a story that he's "always wanted to tell." In addition to being the VP of development at LucasArts, giving him a crucial connection to Lucasfilm, Hirschmann also served as executive producer on the original Star Wars Battlefront games.
"I'm so thrilled to get a chance to work with my friends at Lucasfilm again. I have such great memories of working with them on everything from the original Star Wars Battlefront games to The Force Unleashed. And I've always been inspired by the classic Star Wars titles Dark Forces and Dark Forces II," Hirschmann says. "I've never forgotten the emotion and excitement I felt playing an FPS inside the Star Wars universe. They are defining experiences for many of us on the team, and are a guiding light for this new project. It's a dream come true to make this new title, a Star Wars game we've always wanted to play."
Respawn Takes the Lead on Star Wars
EA's three new Star Wars projects join several other games currently in development, including Aspyr's Knights of the Old Republic remake and Quantic Dream’s High Republic game. They are part of what appears to be a broader push to get more Star Wars games on the market following the recent formation of Lucasfilm Games.
Meanwhile, IGN understands that Respawn's success with Jedi: Fallen Order has solidified it as EA's lead Star Wars developer going forward. The studio's rise has roughly coincided with that of Zampella, who recently added DICE to a portfolio that also includes Respawn and Ripple Effect Studios.
All three projects are currently hiring, and EA did not share any information regarding potential release dates. While you wait, you can learn how Stig Asmussen built God of War and Jedi: Fallen Order, and also refresh yourself on how the first game ended.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN
source https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-respawn-ea-jedi-fallen-order-sequel-fps-strategy-xcom
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