The Star Wars franchise never seems to run out of video games. EA has spent years producing a wide range of Star Wars games, from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to the Battlefront series. With additional games like LEGO Star Wars on top of that, there's a ton of ways to experience this foundational sci-fi franchise. Now there's another studio joining in on Star Wars game development, potentially marking a new generation of games. Ubisoft announced in February 2021 that it's starting work on an open-world Star Wars game, breaking EA's temporary tradition of near-exclusive rights to making games about the Star Wars IP.
Ubisoft hasn't said a whole lot about its Star Wars game, and for good reason. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells Star Wars fans that the open-world game is much too early in development for the studio to say anything definitive about it. That means that, for now, everything seems possible. Since Ubisoft is working with such an apparent blank slate, it should try to incorporate a fan wish that would set the Ubisoft Star Wars game apart from most others in the market. The game should let players create alien characters, rather than limiting them to human protagonists like many Star Wars games do.
Star Wars and Its Human Leads
Sci-fi media has a habit of focusing on humans rather than making aliens the stars. The Star Wars franchise showcases that. Although the movies establish very early on that there are countless interesting alien species that fill the Star Wars galaxy, the cast of characters that lead all three Star Wars trilogies are almost entirely human. Chewbacca is frequently the only representative of aliens among these groups. It makes sense for the Star Wars movies to focus on the Skywalker family's saga over all those generations, but fans are often drawn to the aliens that surround them rather than the familiar humans.
In spite of Star Wars fans' natural love for the franchise's aliens, there are surprisingly few famous Star Wars games where an alien takes the spotlight. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order featured some significant aliens as supporting characters, but playable protagonist Cal Kestis was quite human. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a beloved Star Wars game from BioWare, also starred a human force user rather than making various Star Wars species into playable actions. In spite of the galaxy's many aliens, Star Wars media just keeps limiting itself to human heroes.
Ubisoft should keep this pattern in mind—and break it. Although there are lots of solid Star Wars stories out there that star humans, at this point, human-only heroes are pretty predictable. Ubisoft could make itself stand out and appease fans who want more protagonist options by making a Star Wars game that doesn't ignore all the other options. There's very little reason that a Star Wars game should always star a human. They may be more recognizable, but Star Wars' long list of beloved alien characters proves that a Star Wars game's protagonist doesn't have to be human to get affection and sympathy from fans.
Star Wars' Aliens Offer Mechanical Potential
Even if Ubisoft's Star Wars game only uses near-human aliens like Twi'leks, Zabrak, and so on, opening the doors to aliens would make Ubisoft's game feel totally different from others. For one thing, Ubisoft can incorporate skillsets based on the abilities of various Star Wars species. For instance, there might be certain obstacles that are easier to clear with a Wookiee's innate strength, meaning Wookiee characters get earlier access to certain areas. Alien races with impactful abilities are a great way to encourage multiple playthroughs.
Similarly, alien races would be a great way for Ubisoft to influence the game's social dynamics. Star Wars is full of political intrigue and complicated interplanetary relations, so it'd stand to reason if different NPCs reacted differently to different player races. Certain Star Wars alien traits could come into play too. For instance, a Nautolan's head tails can pick up pheromones and help the Nautolan determine another being's emotional state. Abilities like the Nautolan's pheromone sense could open doors to dialogue options that only certain player characters can unlock thanks to their unique perspective on a social situation.
Star Wars' aliens clearly open the door for tons of different playthroughs of Ubisoft's Star Wars game. Every species in the Star Wars galaxy has a different perspective on the world and a different set of abilities that create a lot of interesting tools for Ubisoft to work with. The more of those tools Ubisoft uses, the better. An open Star Wars world would feel even more meaningful to explore with character creation choices like the player's species coming into play. There's too much potential here for Ubisoft to leave alien races on the table in favor of another human-locked hero.
Ubisoft Could Attract Many Star Wars Fans
Even if Ubisoft doesn't make use of the various unique traits of Star Wars aliens, though, it could still get a huge selling point out of making aliens playable in its game. Fans would love the opportunity to play an alien in a story-focused game. There are so few options for story-heavy games starring Star Wars aliens that Ubisoft's game would be unique by that merit alone. Many Star Wars fans have favorites among the galaxy's aliens, so the more species Ubisoft includes, the more it can draw in Star Wars fans eager to play as a beloved alien.
As exciting as it would be for Ubisoft to confirm playable aliens for its Star Wars title, it clearly won't say anything about it anytime soon. The game has only been public knowledge for a few months, and in that time Ubisoft has given very few development updates. All fans really know is that the Star Wars game is in the early stages of development, meaning patience is a virtue. It wouldn't be surprising if Ubisoft didn't provide any details about the game until well into 2022. Star Wars fans may have to wait, but for now, they can cling to the hope that anything seems possible for Ubisoft's game. The studio should mind Star Wars fans' love of aliens and incorporate them heavily into character creation.
Ubisoft's open-world Star Wars game is in development.