lmost immediately after the announcement of three new Star Wars games, a gameplay video of the cancelled Star Wars 1313 leaked onto the Internet. Boba Fett as the protagonist, full immersion in the criminal world, an adult rating, a lot of leaked materials – alas, all this became a victim of the deal between LucasArts and Disney.
But this is not the first and not the last cancelled game about the world of a galaxy far, far away. We have collected ten of the most interesting Star Wars games that never came out.
Project Ragtag by Visceral Games
The last years of Visceral Games’ existence were more like agony. Constant pressure from above led to the failure of Dead Space 3, and the creation of Battlefield Hardline was delayed due to a lack of experience in creating online shooters. A lifeline was supposed to be a Star Wars project, whose development was given to the studio after the deal between Disney and Electronic Arts.
The team was given all the developments from the cancelled Star Wars 1313 — they weren’t needed, though — and Uncharted series author Amy Hennig was appointed creative director. They decided to make an action adventure with linear locations and an emphasis on the plot around representatives of the criminal world. The time period was the original trilogy. The main feature was planned to be the ability to change characters during the game. In addition, the studio added many “pirate” mechanics such as boarding ships, which migrated straight from another cancelled game about the Caribbean.
However, in October 2017, EA closed Visceral. The official reason given was poor feedback from testers. But much more plausible versions seem to be that the ambitious title was significantly over budget. The development itself was accompanied by conflicts, lack of a unified vision and attempts by management to control every aspect. It is not surprising that the publisher decided to get rid of the unprofitable team. All created materials were transferred to other teams – some of the developments, for example, were used in Star Wars: Squadrons.
Star Wars: Maul
In 2010, Red Fly and LucasArts began working on a prototype of a new project in the Star Wars setting. The developers wanted to “revive” Darth Maul after the lost battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi and continue his story. According to the few sources, a dynamic action game with stealth elements was planned. At the same time, the horned Zabrak, although deadly, could easily die from a couple of attacks. The developers also wanted to implement a fear mechanic: Maul could scare NPCs and feed on the Force to open up additional opportunities.
However, all the plot developments were cancelled by George Lucas himself. The father of “Star Wars” suggested making Darth Talon the main character’s partner, which entailed a shift in the chronology by 170 years. Due to time inconsistencies, the protagonist was to be replaced by a descendant of Maul or his clone, who would encounter Darth Krayt and his new Sith Order. All stealth levels also had to be cut.
All work was finally frozen after 2013. No official reasons were given, but the developers themselves believe that Disney did not see the potential of the project.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3
At one time, KotOR 3 was one of the most anticipated Star Wars games. Even the ending of the second part hinted at a sequel. According to Chris Avellone, they wanted to move the events to the Unknown Regions, where the main character went after Revan and encountered the real Sith Empire.
It was expected that the development would be handled by the second Obsidian team, transferred here after the cancellation of one MMORPG. During pre-production, the authors wrote the plot, worked out the design of locations and prepared a significant part of the quests and characters. However, LucasArts’ financial problems intervened, which is why active development never began.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3
From the very beginning, The Force Unleashed was created as a trilogy, so work on the third part began immediately after the release of the second. The main plot was to be centered around the difficult relationship between Starkiller and Darth Vader, who were forced to unite against Emperor Palpatine. For some unknown reason, the Supreme Sith wanted to kill the two traitors and find a new apprentice. According to one of the concepts, Boba Fett was planned to be the second most important character. The authors also wanted to implement a cooperative mode, locations open for exploration, and two endings that would smoothly lead to the fourth episode.
However, the development never went beyond the early stages. The management did not like the ideas embedded in the series, and the authors themselves did not understand what to do next with Galen Marek. The project was temporarily postponed due to the studio’s financial difficulties. The game was finally finished off by the deal with the “Mouse House” and the subsequent mass layoffs. At the end of 2020, rumors appeared about the start of development of the third part. However, since then, no new information has been received, so the project is still more dead than alive.
Star Wars: Battlefront 3
The third part of Battlefront was developed by Free Radical Design (TimeSplitters). The developers’ ambitions were off the charts: large-scale battles, huge and detailed locations, a single-player campaign, multiplayer with the ability to fly from the ground to outer space and back.
The main character was a copy of X2, created on the basis of Jedi DNA, and the events take place between the “Clone Wars” and the fourth episode. According to those involved, by 2008 the project was already in the final stage – 90% of the game was ready. At that time, a bunch of screenshots and a nearly finished alpha version were leaked to the Internet.
However, the studio was constantly behind schedule. At some point, the publisher got tired of it and stopped funding. The authors also could not devote all their available time to the game, since they were simultaneously working on the shooter Haze. The work went to the Rebellion team and was implemented in the form of Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron.
Star Wars: First Assault
First Assault was shaping up to be a massive multiplayer first-person shooter that would reimagine the original Battlefront. However, due to a future deal with Disney, LucasArts chose to simply cancel the almost finished game.
The matches would involve two teams of eight people: rebels and stormtroopers. The locations were chamber-like, with many passages, which made the shootouts faster. All characters were given unique gadgets and abilities. The authors also planned to implement a class system and customization. The beta version of the already dead game can still be found on the Internet.
Star Wars: Imperial Commando
Republic Commando is one of those games that are usually remembered fondly, forgetting about their shortcomings. In the tactical shooter, the player takes on the role of not another Sith or Jedi, but a simple clone, one of millions. Here you had to think about the behavior of your partners, give them orders and use the environment as effectively as possible.
Work on the sequel began a year before the release of the original. It was possible to choose: either carry out Order 66 or found the Resistance. And all this as part of the already familiar Delta Force. However, poor sales of Republic Commando quickly put an end to LucasArts’ interest in the sequel.
Star Wars: Outpost
LucasArts once seriously hoped to grab a piece of the mobile and browser games market. That’s why it counted on Star Wars: Outpost, which was being worked on by the Singapore division. The project was an isometric real-time strategy game, described as a mix of EVE Online and Farm Frenzy.
Players could build bases, form alliances, create trade routes, and, of course, betray and fight each other. There were two factions to choose from: the Resistance and the Empire. The studio also planned to link First Assault and Outpost, which would allow for the transfer of weapons and ships. However, the game was cancelled a month before release and the team was disbanded. Its hardcore nature, high entry threshold, and niche nature, which did not guarantee high profits, had an effect.
Star Wars Episode VII: Shadows of the Sith
After the release of Episode III, George Lucas hoped to continue the story of the Skywalker family in the form of a game. The first work in this direction began in 2004. The plot was to focus on the adventures of Ben Skywalker, the son of Luke and Mara Jade.
The hero balanced between the light and dark sides, gradually discovering new possibilities of the Force. Han Solo’s son Jason, who fell before the Darkness and became a threat of galactic scale, was considered for the place of the antagonist. However, the idea was not supported, and some interesting findings were transferred to The Force Unleashed. Further attempts to create Shadows of the Sith did not go beyond prototypes.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight 3: Brink of Darkness
LucasArts planned the finale of the Jedi Knight trilogy in the form of Brink of Darkness . The publisher wanted to finish the story of Kyle Katarn, but after the release of Jedi Academy, the company decided not to continue the Jedi Knight, and all work on Brink of Darkness ended. Many years later, the project’s logo leaked online.
Bonus: Unknown Chewbacca Game
In the early 2000s, they wanted to make a solo game out of the hairy pilot of the Millennium Falcon. The studio planned to tell the story of the character’s acquaintance with Han Solo and the birth of an unusual friendship. For the sake of the project, LucasArts canceled the space simulator Dark Squadron and transferred the developers to it. However, Lucas did not like the idea of a game about Wookiees, which became a death sentence.