The future of the Star Wars universe continues to be a mystery for many. Despite the divisive nature of the sequel trilogy, fans of the Star Wars franchise are still looking forward to several new movies. While these installments in the series are likely to continue to push the Star Wars franchise forward, they also seem to set the boundaries for what other Star Wars media will focus on. This is shown through the shows, comics, and games that continue to build on the history of the Star Wars universe but don’t seem to have jumped too far ahead in the franchise’s timeline.
Even The Book of Boba Fett’s new episodes continue to tackle the time between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order. While there are significant events during these times, such as Operation: Cinder, as a whole they can’t move the stories of Star Wars past the boundaries at the end of the Skywalker Saga. This was exemplified with other media relating to the prequel trilogy, and while it has led to great shows like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and Star Wars: Rebels, it also means that there might be hard limits on what fans can expect to see from Star Wars games over the next couple of years.
Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and Star Wars Eclipse
Probably one of the most notable games for fans to pay attention to because of where it might fall on the timeline is the next Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game. While Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 news is expected soon, at this point its story is still up in the air. The character arc that Cal Kestis was on in the first Jedi: Fallen Order seemed to be completed during the game’s finale, with no real signs pointing towards the Jedi Knight’s future. While Cal Kestis could continue on his journey in fighting the Empire, he would need to dodge other major characters, like those from the main line of Star Wars movies, while also coming across more Jedi who may have survived the Jedi Purge to complete his journey to Jedi Master.
There are workarounds to this problem, like those introduced in Star Wars: Rebels, but this predicament also solidifies how trapped Star Wars games may be in the series’ timeline. While moving the galaxy’s narrative forward would be great and could offer a lot more freedom with fewer risks in regard to canon material, the games continue to be set around the times of the Empire and First Order. This trend has limited the stories, but also takes advantage of the time that fans are the most familiar with.
This doesn’t seem to be something that Star Wars is stepping away from, as even with the announcement of Star Wars: Eclipse, players will be limited to the series' past. This in of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the High Republic era has a lot of information that can be key to better understanding the Star Wars universe. It’s when the Republic’s influence is at its greatest, and the era still falls into a part of the timeline where characters like Yoda are present thanks to their species' long lifespans.
However, while the fresh stories that should be present in Star Wars: Eclipse and the visual teases for the game look incredible, it’s still taking a step back in Star Wars' history. The story it’s going to tell and the narrative around the High Republic era could still be invaluable when put next to others, but it doesn't change the fact that it won’t push the universe of Star Wars forward in its timeline. Especially during a time when many fans would like to see the series start to move past the Skywalker Saga and be able to build without having to rely on the legacy of Luke and Anakin, a Star Wars game that visits the series past might not be the best direction to go - even with fan-favorites like Yoda present.
Ubisoft's Star Wars Game
The setting of Star Wars Eclipse and the possible story that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 tells doesn’t mean that the Star Wars franchise is shackled to its past, though. While they aren’t likely to be key in pushing the timeline forward, for one reason or another, the Star Wars project that’s being headed by Ubisoft could be a significantly different story. Right now, not much information on it has been shared, but it’s likely far enough away that it could fall into a brief period where the focus on the times during or before the Skywalker Saga are less relevant.
This is mostly because of the new Star Wars movies that are currently in the works. While there aren’t a lot of concrete release dates to look at, the exclusivity contract for the EA Star Wars games also doesn’t expire until 2023 creating a specific window. This could put enough time between now and the full reveal of Ubisoft’s game for players to be introduced to a new era in the Star Wars franchise. As a whole, this sounds like it might be the direction that Star Wars is taking, using the next couple of years to regain its footing before continuing the journey in a galaxy far, far away.
Given that this is just speculation, though, it’s also possible that Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game could continue to build on the settings that fans know. While it does take time to develop games, it sounds like work on the Ubisoft title has been quietly going on for a whil, and its announcement points towards more concrete steps being taken. This doesn’t mean fans should look forward to seeing Ubisoft’s Star Wars game anytime this year, but it does mean that it might not be able to break into Star Wars future. These circumstances aren’t necessarily bad, though, as while it would be nice to see Star Wars finally break into future events, it’s also clear there is still plenty to learn about the more familiar times in the galaxy.