Officially announced just before 2025’s Star Wars Celebration Japan, EA and Respawn Entertainment will soon have players return to the Clone Wars with the upcomingStar Wars Zero Company. A single-player turn-based tactics game akin toGears TacticsandXCOMin terms of gameplay,Star Wars Zero Companywill have players command members of the professionals for hire as they take part in battles, “…fought in the shadows.”
While many fans are excited to return to theClone Warsand witness a new story filled with a diverse cast of characters, many others are calling for Lucasfilm Games to develop games more similar to those made by LucasArts. In this sense, Lucasfilm Games may want to strive to make games set parallel to events depicted inStar Warsfilms.
The Various Time Periods of Disney-era Star Wars Games
Following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in late 2012 and the subsequent shuttering of LucasArts in 2013, Disney provided EA exclusive rights to makeStar Warsvideo games for the next several years. These changes initially resulted in the cancellation of manyStar Warsgame sequels and original titles set in theStar WarsLegends timeline, save for continued expansions developed forthe MMOStar Wars: The Old Republic. However, it wasn’t long before EA and its developers quickly began working on entirely new games for the Disney-era ofStar Wars, starting with 2015’sStar Wars Battlefront. A reboot of Pandemics Studios’ celebrated first and third-person shooter games, 2015’s Battlefront lacked a campaign and only centered on the original trilogy era ofStar Warsfilms.
Like 2015’sBattlefront, many Disney-eraStar Warsgames were developed with online multiplayer as their primary focus, as seen withStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes,Star Wars: Hunters, andStar Wars: Uprising. While these featured little expansion of canonStar Warslore, otherStar Warsgames began to feature single-player narrative campaigns akin to those developed under LucasArts, including:
All of these aforementioned games took place following the rise of the Galactic Empire and were set between films. For example,Outlawsis set betweenEmpire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi.
The Charm of Star Wars Games Set Parallel to Films
During LucasArts’ control ofStar Warsgame production, many classicStar Warsgames were set during the enthralling events of the original saga and introduced new, if sometimes lore-confounding, perspectives on famous scenes. For instance, 1996’sStar Wars: Shadows of the Empiretook place simultaneously and briefly followingEmpire Strikes Back, showcasing how Dash Rendar aided the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Hoth. Similarly, 2005’sStar Wars: Republic Commandobriefly took place simultaneously withAttack of the Clones, spotlighting the more tactical and brutal side of the First Battle of Geonosis through the eyes of Delta Squad. Some games were even adaptations and slight expansions of films, such as The Collective’sStar Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sithgame.
While a few Disney-era games have taken place parallel to theStar Warsfilms, namely theLEGO Star Warsgames and the beginning of 2017’sBattlefront 2campaign, most have chosen to explore time periods and events set between the films. This has resulted in the creation of many fan-favorite characters and stories as well as helped expand the ever-growing lore of Disney canon, but there’s still an immense charm to games taking place parallel to the movies. For many fans, games likeShadows of the EmpireorRepublic Commandohelped ensure certain films became their favorite, and they were delighted to take part in famous scenes themselves, such as taking down Hoth’s AT-ATs.
Potential New Star Wars Games Set Parallel to Films
Since Disney acquiredStar Wars, five theatricalStar Warsfilms have been created, with the sixth,The Mandalorian and Grogu, expected to debut in May 2026. With an upcoming total of 12 live-actionStar Warsfilms, Disney and Lucasfilm Games have ample opportunities to develop new titles set parallel to them. For example, Disney could develop a game following a First Order Stormtrooper fromTheForce AwakenstoRise of Skywalkeras they become disillusioned during the Battle of Ansett Island. Another potential game could followthe Knights of Renduring the sequel trilogy with the newly introduced Tava Ren being a possible protagonist. Games such as these could work in tandem with those set in between movies likeStar Wars Zero Companyto make truly greatStar Warsgame experiences.
