No thanks to LucasArts and their new owners at Disney, we've slowly been learning through leaks more and more about the Star Wars game that may never be: Star Wars: First Assault. We first discovered the downloadable shooter last summer and since, Disney has put a lid on any marketing efforts for the game that was originally intended for release this spring.

Reports indicate Disney has put a halt to hirings at LucasArts and we now wonder whether or not Star Wars: First Assault - allegedly a precursor to Battlefront 3 - is being saved for upcoming events, possible E3, or whether it's being canned entirely. For now, all we have are rumors, fan desires, and a few new screenshots.

Kotaku, who have an inside source close to the game, shared a few new Star Wars: First Assault screenshots, highlighting the 8 vs. 8 online multiplayer gameplay.

[gallery order="DESC" columns="1" orderby="rand"]

The first-person shooter features 16-player matches, putting players in the boots of the Rebels or Imperial Stormtroopers. It's infantry-based, allowing players to fight over maps based on popular locations from what seems to be only the original trilogy. Part of the First Assault dev team are (were?) reportedly working on vehicles as well, and had already crafted functional Tie Fighters and AT-ST walkers, for use down the road in Star Wars: Battlefront III, a game that could potentially be greenlit based on the reception to Star Wars: First Assault.

Battlefront 3 would be built from the ground up using the First Assault engine an assets, instead of continuing development on the previously canceled, but "99% finished" version that Slant Six Games and Free Radical had both worked on in the past.

So, what is Disney doing with LucasArts and are they going to help usher in the return of critically acclaimed, award-worthy Star Wars games? As we've theorized previously, First Assault/Battlefront and Star Wars 1313 may both be in the early stages of being altered to fit Disney's plans for Star Wars Episodes 7-9 and the two standalone movies based on Boba Fett and Han Solo, so it could just be a while before we find out more.

[Update: Leaked pre-rendered footage for a trailer along with some brief gameplay clips were leaked to Kotaku]

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes and tell me if LucasArts should (re)begin development on Star Wars: Battlefront III!

More:

Source: Kotaku