In gaming, a sub-genre is usually defined by a few strong games leading the pack. One obvious example is that of the soulslike genre, which are games that have a similar difficulty and design philosophy based on theDark Soulsfranchise. Metroidvania is another due to world structure. One that often comes unheralded, though, is that of theStar Warsgame.
Many would agree that, prior toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,Star Warsgames had generally fallen to the wayside.Battlefrontis a solid shooter for the franchise, but it’s not what some would want. Many long for the days of theKotorRPGs or even realities where1313andProject Ragtagactually exist, meaning there’s a solid history of games that never came to fruition.
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Canceled Star Wars Games
While plenty ofStar Warsgames were high-profile at the time of their cancellation (if due to initial impressions and brand recognition alone), several smaller games were also swept under a rug. These include…
Many of these games may not have been heard of, at least not in a large public space. However, many of the games that were canceled could have possible steeredStar Warsgames in an all-new direction. As many know, the currentBattlefrontsare spiritual successors to the originals, which was meant to be a trilogy. Nonetheless,Star Wars Battlefront 3was canceled in 2008 following a split between LucasArts and Free Radical, which also had some serious mudslinging between the two companies. Whether it would have lived up to its predessor is up in the air, but one does have to wonder what that would mean for currentBattlefrontgames had it proceeded.
Star Wars 1313
Perhaps one of the highest-profiles cancelations was that ofStar Wars 1313, where players would have controlled Boba Fetton Level 1313 of Coruscant. When it was first revealed, many were incredibly impressed with what was shown, and new material that has surfaced in recent years has shown thatStar Wars 1313could have been a good, yet different telling of theStar Warsgame.
Instead ofJedi and Sith, it would have been focused on the seedy underworlds of scoundrels (and arguably the most popular Bounty Hunter of the franchise.) Like many games, it was canceled after months of development limbo when Disney shut down LucasArts. President Kathleen Kennedy has mentioned the game in passing as something the company was still interested in, but that hasn’t seemed to bear any fruit.
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3
Many have been begging for aKotor 3for the longest time, as the first two are some of the most iconic RPGs of the franchise, but at this point, it’s probably little more than a pipe dream. A few details have dripped over the years about a canceledKotor 3project, which would have included a female character named Naresha, but nothing ever came to fruition. According toChris Avellone, many of theKotor 3’s story detailshad been drafted, but the game was ultimately canceled when the company hit a rough patch. The writing may have been on the walls then, as this was prior to the Disney purchase.
BioWare was reportedly teased with theKotor 3project at some point as well, with the exact timeline of events unknown. Nonetheless, hadKotor 3came to fruition, it seems plausible thatStar Warscould have a much more profound influence in the gaming industry as it does today.Jedi Fallen Orderhas given many hope for the future, but despite some movement forward, many are still wary over EA’s plans.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3
Another game lost to Disney’s canning of LucasArts wasThe Force Unleashed 3, reportedly an open-world experience that would have seen Vader and Starkiller on an adventure together to stop Emperor Palpatine from replacing Vader. The game wasn’t far in development at the time of its cancellation and was reportedly planned to release afterThe Force Awakens.Star Warsfever was at a pitch near the beginning of thesequel trilogy, so once again, it’s worth wondering ifThe Force Unleashed 3could have seized the opportunity to further defineStar Warsgames.
Star Wars: Project Ragtag
Project Ragtag wasonly ever briefly shown, but what was shown made many fans immediately fall in love. It was eventually canceled by EA, as it did not want to focus on single-player games (a move thatJedi Fallen Orderproves was a mistake), but one developer claimed it would have been “the bestStar Warsgame ever made.” Not much is known about it, aside from once again being focused on Scoundrels and a huge heist, but the goals were described as lofty. It would been a big project for Visceral Games, and many were indubitably disappointed when EA shut down Visceral, ultimately leading toRagtag’s cancelation.
