More details have started trickling out concerning the canned Star Wars game from Visceral and, the more we hear about it, the more frustrating it is that we'll never get to play the game that Amy Hennig and Co. were developing.
A couple of weeks ago, EA announced that they would be "pivoting" the development of the Star Wars game being developed by Visceral Games. That also meant that they would be shuttering the studio itself, relocating as many personnel as possible. It was bad news for the men and women who had dedicated years of their life to developing the game, it was bad news for a great studio and it was bad news for folks who were really looking forward to playing the game that had been the source of much rumor and speculation.
According to a recent report from Kotaku, it turns out the Visceral Star Wars game was shaping up to be a lot like the supposed plot that was circulating around the internet last year. And based on what we've heard so far and the fact that Hennig was at the helm the answer is yes, it did sound a heck of a lot like an Uncharted game set in the Star Wars universe. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a dream combination to me.
The lead protagonist was called Dodger, another fact those early rumors got right. The story refers to Dodger as a "cracked mirror version" of Han Solo, which we figure means he was a scoundrel with a lot more personal demons to deal with. We figure that also means he was going to be the type of guy who slings wisecracks around on a regular basis, something Hennig is especially good at writing after all of her years with Nathan Drake.
Additional characters included a gunslinger named Robie, who was Dodger's most trusted ally. A mob boss' daughter, Oona, was also going to be in the mix, as well as a group mentor by the name of Buck.
Diving into the underbelly of a galaxy far, far away, the plot was going to focus on the impact of Alderaan's destruction and tell the story of criminal families, scoundrels and action-packed heists.
The game was going to be set between Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. There's a lot of room for political intrigue and high tensions between the Empire and their Rebel enemies in that period of time, which would make a great setting for a game.
The game's code name was "Ragtag," which had to do with the collection of characters that would form your adventuring party. Some of the best Star Wars stories happen on the fringes of the main storyline's major events, and it sounds like Ragtag was definitely headed in that direction.
In other words, it sounds like Visceral's Star Wars game was going to, bare minimum, have a killer premise driving it. Instead, it looks like we'll be getting a more "open" experience with whatever "games-as-service" nonsense EA can bolt on for good measure.
