Star Warsvideo games are almost as old as the video game medium itself. Since the late 1970s, George Lucas’s iconic sci-fi series has received more than a hundred video game adaptations, many of which have come from a variety of different developers. EarlyStar Warsvideo games were fairly rudimentary in concept; the first officially licensed title based on the franchise was a side-scrolling shooter for the Atari 2600. Over the years, however,Star Warsvideo games expanded into an assortment of different genres, from RPGs and platformers to action-adventure games and RTS titles.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, one of the most popular genres in theStar Warsvideo game sphere was that of the third/first-person shooter. Many of the biggest developers of the era, like the now-defunct EA subsidiary Pandemic Studios, created acclaimedStar Warstitles in this genre.Star Wars: Battlefront(2004), for example, was widely regarded as one of the sixth console generation’sbest multiplayer shooters. Single-player titles, likeStar Wars: Republic Commando,Star Wars: Dark Forces, andStar Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, were similarly successful, and they set the standard for what licensed shooter games could be.
More Star Wars Unique Shooters Are Needed Over Fortnite and Destiny 2 Collabs
Since the Early 2010s, the Amount of Star Wars Shooters Has Been Minimal
In the last ten years, however, the popularity ofStar Warsshooter games has somewhat waned. After EA obtained a decade of exclusive rights to theStar Warslicense in 2013, the number of console games based on the franchise decreased considerably. Although EA did release a handful ofStar Warsshooters during this era, likeDICE’sStar Wars: Battlefrontreboots, these titles were embroiled in controversy upon their respective launches. Even though other companies now have the freedom to developStar Warsgames for consoles and PCs, the series still doesn’t have any notable third- or first-person shooters on the horizon.
Fortnite and Destiny 2 Are Both Holding Major Star Wars Collabs This Year
Despite the relative lack of modernStar Warsshooters, Lucasfilm and Disney have partnered up with other companies to addStar Wars-themed content to some of the most popular shooters on the market. Earlier this month, Epic Games announced that it would hostthe biggestStar Warscollaboration yetin its multiplayer third-person shooter,Fortnite. This ongoing season, titledFortnite: Galactic Battle, not only introduces new vehicles to the game, like X-Wings and TIE Fighters, but also aStar WarsWatch Party theater and a special live in-game event called the Death Star Sabotage.
Destiny 2, the hit online first-person shooter from Bungie, is also going to receive some majorStar Wars-themed content in the next few months. A few days ago, Bungie revealed that its game would get a new expansion centered entirely aroundStar Wars,titledDestiny 2: Renegades. This DLC will be released alongside a handful ofStar Wars-inspired armor ornament sets, which will be included inDestiny 2’sYear of Prophecy: Ultimate Edition.
It’s worth noting that Bungie has already added someStar Wars-themed skins toDestiny 2this year. Back in February, it released a few Guardian cosmetics based on the Stormtroopers, Death Troopers, and Imperial Guards from the series.
The Frequency of These Recent Collabs Shows That There is An Audience for Star Wars Shooters
The fact that Lucasfilm and Disney frequently releaseStar Wars-themed content in first- and third-person shooters likeFortniteandDestiny2suggests that there may be a demand for newStar Warsvideo games in the same genres. Right now, companies like EA aren’t developing any successors to theStar Wars: Battlefrontgames, nor are they making anysingle-playerStar Warsshooters. As great as the recentStar Warscrossovers have been, Lucasfilm and Disney shouldn’t rely solely on them to keep the series alive in the first/third-person shooter market. Instead, other developers who are interested in making greatStar Warsshooters, single-player or otherwise, should be given license to do so.
