Summary
TheStar Warsfranchise has had its share of ups and downs over the last forty-plus years of its existence. For everyEmpire Strikes Back, there’s aStar Wars Holiday Special, and for everyKnights of the Old Republic, there’s aMasters of Teras Kasi. The last ten years have been particularly rocky forStar Wars' gaming projects, as the franchise’s exclusivity deal with publisher EA has been the source of great ire for many fans. That deal will soon be reaching its end, but even in its waning months, EA has added one more transgression to its list with the cancelation of Respawn’s Mandalorian first-person shooter.
It’s well-known that Respawn had been working on aStar WarsFPS for some time, and new details just recently emerged that the project would focus on a Mandalorian protagonist. Just as the dust was settling on that news, however,EA pulled the plug, citing a shift towards internal IP. It’s proving to be a massive blow to much of theStar Warsfandom, and unfortunately, this isn’t the first time fans have experienced a cancelation such as this.Star Wars 1313remains the one that got away for many fans over ten years after its cancelation, and Respawn’s Mandalorian FPS now bears a striking resemblance to it.
Star Wars 1313 & EA’s Mandalorian Game Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin
Star Warshas had a lot of canceled gamesover the last couple of decades, but few have stung just as much asStar Wars 1313. Revealed in 2012,1313was going to take players through the seedy underbelly of the Republic’s capital, Coruscant. While it was originally going to be a story about a new smuggler protagonist, reports detail how development shifted at George Lucas' insistence to focus on a young Boba Fett. Gameplay demos showed a significant amount of potential, and the darker tone was what many fans had been begging for, but1313was lost when Disney cancelled all of LucasArts' upcoming games in 2013.
WithEA’s Mandalorian game now in the grave, it shares an unfortunate number of things in common with1313. Both projects would have featured a protagonist who relies more on blasters and gadgets than a lightsaber and the Force, which would be a major change of pace from otherStar Warsgames. The Mandalorians are also one ofStar Wars' most beloved groups, and moving through either game with their iconic armor and tool set could have been a delight. At the end of the day, both titles were the victim of corporate decision-making, and it’s the hardworking devs and passionate fans who now bear the weight of that disappointment.
Star Wars Fans May Find Hope In Other Places
Although the potential of1313and EA’s Mandalorian game will always be unrealized, there is one source of hope for fans who want a similar experience.Ubisoft’sStar Wars Outlawslooks to be a distillation of everything fans have wanted in a scoundrel-centered experience. While it may not exactly be a Mandalorian game,Outlawsshould still take players through the darker corners of the galaxy for a swashbuckling adventure.Outlawswill also be one of the first major releases to follow EA’s exclusivity deal, which could give gamers additional hope for a future title that avenges these unrealized projects.
For manyStar Warsfans, the canceled Mandalorian game is a cruel punctuation for ten years of disappointment. While EA had its bright spots with the license, withStar Wars Battlefront 2andStar Wars Jedibeing the strongest examples, it also regularly stumbled. Respawn will join LucasArts and others on the list of developers that have had a promisingStar Warsproject taken away from them. Fans can only hope that the future ofStar Warsgaming includes the Mandalorian game they’ve been dreaming of.
