In the 1980s, 8 Star Wars video games were released. That jumped to a total of 37 new releases during the 1990s, which in turn jumped even higher to a total of 61 new releases in the 2000s. For many, this period of the 90s and 2000s was the high point for Star Wars video games, as games like Dark Forces, Jedi Academy, Knights of the Old Republic, and The Force Unleashed hit the market.

While 49 were released in the 2010s, the vast majority of them were smaller, mobile games. That isn’t to say that previous years weren’t full of smaller video games, but the sheer number of big, AAA-level Star Wars games seemed to drop as the 2010s went on. Many point to EA’s Star Wars exclusivity contract for this, as while it has lasted for about 8-9 years at this point, EA has only published about 15 Star Wars projects with 7 of those being expansions for The Old Republic MMO.

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The slowdown is even more obvious when looking at the 2020s so far: two games last year, one slated for release this year, and two slated for next year. It feels as if it slowing down, even if the quality isn’t necessarily deviating much (lots of smaller games, some bigger games).

Yet, it seems the re-establishment of Lucasfilm Games is to prevent that slow down from happening again, and the past year alone has seen the announcement, confirmation, or brand new rumor for various, hopefully big, Star Wars games. Some, it seems, are concerned over this, particularly with Quantic Dream reportedly working on a Star Wars game. However, it seems that more Star Wars games are exactly what the franchise needs right now.

Star Wars Games Confirmed, Rumored to Be In Development

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake is Built 'From the Ground Up'

EA’s exclusivity contract still has some time left in it, and it’s likely EA announces or releases an unknown project or two before it does end. But Disney and Lucasfilm Games have been busy, seemingly cutting deals left and right to ensure that there is a plethora of Star Wars content coming right out of the gate, so to speak. The KOTOR Remake alone is a big deal, but a list of rumored and confirmed Star Wars games would easily include the following:

  • LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Confirmed
  • Ubisoft's Open-World Star Wars Game - Confirmed
  • Star Wars: Hunters – Confirmed
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 – Basically Confirmed
  • Lego Star Wars Battles – Revived as Apple Arcade Exclusive
  • Knights of the Old Republic Remake – OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED
  • Star Wars: Battlefront 3 – Rumored but likely inevitable
  • The Mandalorian – Rumored from a reliable source
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3 – Very weak rumor from an unreliable source
  • Quantic Dream’s Star Wars game – Rumored from a reliable source

If the golden years of Star Wars games proved anything, it’s that a lot of games don’t equate to quality, but that in that rough, a lot of quality games do emerge. Nothing that has been announced, confirmed, or rumored thus far sounds anything less than quality, suggesting the current direction that Lucasfilm Games wants the brand to take. However, at the same time, a flood or steady stream at least is better than the dwindling releases fans have seen over recent years.

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Why More Star Wars Games are a Good Thing

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The biggest problem, thus far, it seems with fans is the issue of licensed properties from some developers. Particularly with Quantic Dream, many fans have expressed the desire for the developer to pursue more original IPs than licensed ones, as it has made a name for itself with games like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human. However, since 1999, the studio has developed 5 games that have been primarily on PlayStation consoles due to a deal between it and Sony.

As that deal came to an end, Quantic Dream has expressed the desire to work on multiplatform games, to work on multiple games at one time, and to take on its own publishing. In other words, Quantic Dream wants to grow, and if it’s what the developer wants, working on a Star Wars game and a Quantic Dream original IP at the same time seems like a worthwhile goal.

The thing with licensed property is, sure, there has historically been a lot out there. At one point, every movie practically got a video game release alongside them, leading to a time period where superhero games were nothing but release fodder essentially. Now, that seems to have changed. There is an increasing amount of Marvel and DC games on the market, and while that may not all hit the same level of popularity as Marvel’s Spider-Man (which remains to be seen for a lot of titles), they do seem to have a higher focus on quality than ever.

To have that shift in quality, there has to be more games. Not that the past few Star Wars games haven’t been quality, but that to really push the envelope, there needs to be more hands in the cookie jar. Bringing in Ubisoft, Aspyr, and others such as Quantic Dream to put out more Star Wars games means increased competition, which in turn, should theoretically lead to better Star Wars games. If superhero games have hit their resurgence and are capitalizing on it, Star Wars has every right and ability to do the same, while holding no one developer back but embracing multiple ideas by expanding.

Several Star Wars games are in development.

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