The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to video games. It has had so many that at one point it even had its own publisher, LucasArts, which largely produced and distributed games with the Star Wars label prior to the Disney buyout. There have been a lot of Star Wars games over the years in different genres. Some were great, others less so. Knights of the Old Republic not only has a huge fanbase that still persists today but went on to be a big influence on many later RPGs. On the other hand, trying to compete against Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with Masters of Teras Kasi ended in disaster.
It would seem that every conceivable genre of video game has been done at some point with the Star Wars brand- action, shooters, racing, puzzles, edutainment, RPGs, flight simulators, MMOs, life simulation, hack-and-slash, and real-time strategy have all been done at some point, some of them multiple times. One would be hard-pressed to find anything that hasn't been done... and yet there are still a few genres that the Star Wars franchise has yet to touch, which is unfortunate because some of them have potential to make some fascinating games.
4 GTA-Style Open World
Although probably not the first of its kind, the Grand Theft Auto series popularized a particular brand of open world game that has been imitated by many, sometimes known as the "GTA Clone." This is a big open-world action game, usually set in an urban environment with stories about crime and corruption, that places a heavy emphasis on weapons and vehicles. Rockstar itself imitated the format in L.A. Noire. Other notable examples include the Mafia series, Watch Dogs, LEGO City Undercover, and Simpsons: Hit and Run.
And yet this format has not been touched by Star Wars, despite it having some interesting opportunities. For one thing, crime is a big deal in the Star Wars galaxy. There are plenty of criminal organizations with a dangerous amount of power, but they are not usually the main focus. A story that could really dive into the criminal underworld instead of focusing on Jedi vs. Sith or rebellion vs. Empire would be a great way to explore some lesser-known parts of lore. They already have several urban crime-filled worlds to pick from- Nar Shadaa, Taris, Daiyu, Hosnian Prime, and Coruscant.
But this would be more than just a planet-wide GTA because the Star Wars connection would add some interesting twists. For one thing, many of these city planets are layered. Players would not be sticking to a strictly horizontal plane like they might in Grand Theft Auto. Sometimes they need to go up and down between different levels of the city. There is also the different types of vehicles that could be used. Many of them, like speeders and swoop bikes, would blur the lines between air and ground vehicles. These details would mean a whole aspect of verticality to work with that is not usually seen in games of this type.
3 Hero Shooter
Not every Star Wars game has to be firmly rooted in building on existing canon. Sometimes they can just be fun and silly. The franchise has had success with multiplayer games in the past, from multiplayer options in Battlefront to the Star Wars Galaxies and Star Wars: The Old Republic MMOs, plus mobile titles like Force Arena and Galaxy of Heroes, so the idea of a big multiplayer game is not a huge stretch. But what have they not done yet? How about a hero shooter in the style of Team Fortress 2 or Overwatch.
This is a distinct type of multiplayer game that has gained popularity in recent years. The idea behind it is pretty simple. Players are sorted into competing teams, and control one of several playable characters that each have different strengths and weaknesses. The idea is for the different players to use teamwork to accomplish a task, usually while also doing everything in their power to thwart a rival team's objective.
Star Wars could have some fun with this approach. Obviously this would not be rooted in canon, but that could be a selling point. Not being bound by consistency means opportunities to create outlandish teams, like having Jyn Erso fight alongside Jar Jar Binks, Kylo Ren, and General Grievous. Such a game would probably want to avoid taking itself too seriously, maybe even incorporating a cartoonish aesthetic and humor poking fun at the franchise. Of course, part of the challenge would be making sure every character has their own unique gameplay style. That part might be difficult, but if it can be pulled off having a large (and regularly updated) roster of characters would leave room for some varied combinations.
A Hero Shooter based on Star Wars could also have some advantages from a business standpoint. Updating it with characters from upcoming projects would be a great way to build up hype. Another possibility is using it as a testing ground for new character ideas- releasing concepts for characters and seeing how they are received before they make it into official canon.
2 Survival
Games centered on throwing the player into a hostile environment, usually starting with minimal resources and gradually learning how to handle themselves, have gained a decent amount of popularity lately. Some are more open-ended like Ark: Survival Evolved and Stranded Deep. Others are more story-oriented, such as Days Gone, The Last of Us and Two, the Far Cry and Metro series, and the most recent Tomb Raider games. But there are some common patterns. Many of these types of games are structured around the player gathering resources, often with some form of crafting mechanic, as well as accumulating skills and equipment that gradually provides more options.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order has shades of the survival game, and definitely shows influence from Tomb Raider, but it is more focused on melee combat than learning how to make use of the environment. Cal never has to learn to use the environment the same way Lara Croft or Ellie had to, nor does he have to collect resources or craft items. This is somewhat ironic considering the upcoming sequel is literally titled Survival, but a proper survival game would be an interesting addition to Star Wars.
There are a few ways a survival game could go. The simplest route would be a game centered around a character being stranded on an isolated planet with a hostile environment, and presumably gradually accumulating improved equipment and skills as they learn to handle themselves. This would be a fun opportunity to further develop one of the more isolated worlds. But if they wanted a more recognizable Star Wars setting, how about having the player character crash on Endor and live with Ewoks? If they preferred going the route of post-apocalyptic survival, they could throw the player into a major disaster or tragedy. For example, what about a game focused on someone caught in the middle of the Clone Wars? Or maybe trying to get by after their home is destroyed by the Sith/Empire/First Order? While Jedi Fallen Order might not have delivered on the "survival" part, the idea of a survival game about Order 66 could still work.
1 Stealth
A lot of Star Wars games emphasize action to some extent. As is common with the movies, it is usually a reasonable expectation going into any Star Wars game that some fighting will be involved. The degree to which action takes precedence may vary, as does the form it takes. Some games, for example, may prefer to focus on space battles while others are more interested in lightsaber or blaster combat. But usually, with a few exceptions, players can usually anticipate direct encounters with various enemies. This tendency has generally resulted in Star Wars largely ignoring another popular genre- the stealth game.
The stealth action game was first popularized by the Metal Gear series, but has since become a staple of several iconic franchises like Assassin's Creed. Usually this type of game encourages players to avoid directly confronting enemies whenever possible in favor of trying to avoid drawing their attention. There have been a few games with stealth aspects. Knights of the Old Republic offered stealth equipment. Some games included options for the player to ambush an enemy before others notice, but these were never a central mechanic.
A game where the player is trying to take the quiet approach would be an interesting change of pace, and there are several ways it could be done. One approach is a story focused on espionage rather than direct fighting, with the player being a spy or special operative for one of the major factions. A rebel or republic operative going behind enemy lines might be interesting. Or if they wanted to subvert expectations, maybe someone connected to the CIS. Another idea would be to take a Hitman or Dishonored-esque approach by having the player control a bounty hunter, who gets a new target each level and can take several different paths to deal with them, possibly with consequences depending on their choices.