Respawn Entertainment seems determined to establish itself as a major face of Star Wars games. Respawn and EA just announced that Respawn isn't just working on a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, but it has two other Star Wars games in development too. Respawn is developing a new Star Wars FPS of some kind, and it's also producing a Star Wars strategy game developed by Bit Reactor. The strategy game is particularly interesting since it's only the latest strategy-minded take on a major IP. In 2021, Firaxis Games announced Marvel's Midnight Suns, a superhero strategy game inspired by the darker side of the Marvel comic universe.
While EA and Respawn didn't share many details about the Star Wars strategy game, it wouldn't be surprising if it has a lot in common with Marvel's Midnight Suns and other Firaxis projects like XCOM. After all, Bit Reactor was formed by Firaxis veterans. Should the Star Wars strategy game share Marvel's Midnight Suns' RPG elements, then the genre as a whole could see a boost in support. Tactical RPGs tend to be a little more niche than many other games, but with the help of Marvel and Star Wars, the genre is well poised to attract some new fans.
Finding New Strategy Fans
Modern pop culture wouldn't be the same without the major influence of Marvel and Star Wars. Marvel Comics has told memorable superhero stories for decades, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded superhero media by bringing those stories to broader audiences. Star Wars has similarly stood the test of time; it's had tons of fans since its 1977 debut, and the Star Wars franchise has grown aggressively in recent years thanks to TV shows like The Book of Boba Fett. It would be hard to find bigger IPs to transform into tactical RPGs.
That's why both Bit Reactor's Star Wars project and Marvel's Midnight Suns are such great news for the genre. The strategy genre's library is a little sparser than most; historically, strategy just doesn't seem to appeal to most consumers as much as shooters, traditional RPGs, or action-adventure games. Marvel's Midnight Suns and the Star Wars game may only be two additions to the tactics genre, but they're much more visible thanks to the IPs that inspire them. Marvel and Star Wars fans might find tactical RPGs much more palatable when viewed through the lens of a favorite franchise.
The Growth of Tactics RPGs
Both of these strategy games are exciting because they can draw on their licensed properties to tell unique stories and inspire future developers. Marvel's Midnight Suns explores social interactions between its cast of superheroes, for instance, letting players get an intimate view of Marvel characters during their downtime while finding new ways to convert their individual skills into playable movesets. If the Star Wars strategy game is anything like Marvel's Midnight Suns, it could blend interactions between members of the Rebellion or Jedi Order with Force training regimens and powerful Jedi fighting styles.
Since Bit Reactor is such a young studio, it could be several years before the Star Wars strategy game sees the light of day. Even so, Marvel's Midnight Suns plans to release by the end of 2022, so soon the makers of strategy games will have a better sense of how working with a licensed IP changes the game's fanbase. With both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe flourishing, now seems like the perfect time to try adapting these IPs to different video game genres. Tactical RPGs may not be the heart of the video game industry, but with the help of Marvel and Star Wars, they could rise to greater prominence.
EA and Respawn's Star Wars strategy game is in development.
