In 2021, Lucasfilm Games (previously LucasArts) made a big return and signaled a huge shift in the world ofStar Warsvideo games. EA’s exclusivity contract is up in 2023, and while it may “end” strongly withStar Wars Jedi: Survivor,more studios and publishers are able to makeStar Warsgames. EA will continue to do so as well, so Respawn’sStar Wars Jedifranchise isn’t in any sort of danger, but fans will get more and more varied experiences at that in the coming years. To name a few,Ubisoft is working on an open-worldStar Warsgame, Quantic Dream is working on the choice-basedStar Wars Eclipse, Skydance New Media is working on a title, and more.
The future ofStar Warsgames is promising, but it’s also looking into the past. That’s clear with theKOTOR Remakebeing in development under the Embracer Group umbrella, but unfortunately, that game is years away if it ever does manage to manifest. However, there could be more than that in the works. It would be great if Skydance New Media was effectively restarting development on Visceral’sStar Warsgame, while there is also a lot of potential for the technically-never-canceledStar Wars 1313. Neither title would obviously be the same as it would if they were released in the mid-2010s or so, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact,Star Wars 1313could be Lucasfilm’s ace in the hole.
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Lucasfilm Games Has the Chance to Do Something Great with Star Wars 1313
Originally announced at E3 2013,Star Wars 1313was said to revolve around a young adult version ofBoba Fett, as he explored the Coruscant undercity section 1313. It was also supposed to receive a lot of input directly from George Lucas. Many believe that the game has since been canceled, but that’s technically true. It’s never been deemed as such, and as of 2023, it is officially “on hold” at Lucasfilm. In the years since 2013, gameplay, concept art, and more have made their way onto the internet, and the franchise has referenced it a time or two, with the biggest being in the animatedClone Wars.
Star Wars 1313was officially placed on hold when Disney purchased Lucasfilm and subsequently ceased all internal development at LucasArts, bringing that division to a standstill. This was supposedly so Lucasfilm could see a broader range ofStar Warsgames hit the market, but the exclusivity deal with EA didn’t land as either company really hoped, it would seem. At the time, it was said thatStar Wars 1313could resume under an external developer, but any movement on that has not been made public. However, that’s not to say there hasn’t been any. Kathleen Kennedy hinted something was possible one day in 2015, but perhaps under the EA exclusivity contract, there were too many limitations. Lucasfilm Games is back, loud and proud, and it could be that something is happening with theinitial ideas ofStar Wars 1313.
The iterative nature of game development means the initial idea may not see the light, but the underlying themes still could. A Mandalorian Bounty Hunter game, though, just makes sense with their increased popularity after the Disney Plus show. A Mandalorian game, focused on Bounty Hunter gameplay rather than a Jedi, would effectively be Star Wars 1313, and Lucasfilm Games likely knows that. This isn’t just pure speculation though, as there have beenrumors of a new MandalorianStar Warsgamecirculating every so often for the past year or two. It could be nothing, but if there is a Mandalorian game one day, among everything else in development, it would bear Star Wars 1313’s cross.
