Highlights
- Quantic Dream's upcoming game, Star Wars Eclipse, will feature branching narratives and multiple playable characters who can die.
- While some characters may be protected due to their roles in the Star Wars universe, the main playable cast in Star Wars Eclipse is at risk of meeting a tragic end, though the game will progress without them.
The Galaxy Far, Far Away is a dangerous place, and it has just been confirmed that anyone can die in Star Wars Eclipse. Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream announced that it was working on a Star Wars title in partnership with Lucasfilm Games in the winter of 2021 during that year’s Game Awards livestream. There isn’t a whole lot known about Star Wars Eclipse as of this writing, save that it will be set in the High Republic era and see an appearance from the iconic Jedi Master Yoda in his younger years.
Anyone familiar with Quantic Dreams’ past work knows that the French studio is known for narrative-based interactive adventures that are shaped by the player’s actions during dialogue trees or Quick-Time Events. In games like Indigo Prophecy or Heavy Rain, the actions and fates of the main characters are determined by these player choices, and it is often possible for them to meet a grisly death without ending the story outright. While Quantic Dreams has stated that Star Wars Eclipse will be different than its usual projects in terms of narrative and gameplay, it will retain at least some aspects of the developer’s player-driven ethos.
Quantic Dream Vice President of Marketing Lisa Pendse recently spoke with IGN at the Tokyo Game Show 2023 in Japan and addressed a few rumors about Star Wars Eclipse’s gameplay and development cycle. During this interview, she revealed that, like many of Quantic Dreams’ past games, Eclipse will feature branching narratives and multiple playable characters that could die at any moment. “There's no game over. Anyone can die, anything can happen and the story sort of continues.”
Pendse also took a moment to address the lack of new Star Wars Eclipse updates in 2023, telling IGN that the game is “simmering” at the moment and that parent company NetEase is allowing Quantic Dreams to develop and release the game at its own pace. It has been reported by various outlets that Star Wars Eclipse has had development troubles, with insiders believing that it might not see release until at least 2027 or 2028.
Nonetheless, Lisa Pendse insists that Star Wars Eclipse will see release eventually and that the game will retain some of Quantic Dreams’ commitment to branching, interactive narratives where characters can live or die based on the player's actions and choices. While certain characters might be protected due to their roles in the larger Star Wars continuity, it seems that at the very least Eclipse’s main playable cast could meet a tragic end – and the rest of the game will proceed without them.
Star Wars Eclipse is in development.
Source: IGN