Plenty of Nintendo's biggest IPs made it into the latest Nintendo Direct, but a few outsiders had surprise appearances as well. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Lucasfilm Games and Aspyr are working together to port Star Wars: The Force Unleashed to Switch. Originally released in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed tells the story of Galen Marek, better known as Starkiller, who temporarily served as Darth Vader's apprentice before turning against the Empire and helping form the Rebel Alliance. While The Force Unleashed isn't canonical anymore, it still offers a compelling examination of the Empire's early days and a thrilling Star Wars experience.
The Force Unleashed is a great nostalgic Switch port, especially since the Switch can emulate the Wii's motion controls, but it's a little surprising. There's so many Star Wars games already in the works that bringing The Force Unleashed back almost seems counter-intuitive; it has so many peers to compete with. However, it could be part of a long-term strategy on the part of Lucasfilm Games. For years, Star Wars fans have heard rumors that The Force Unleashed 3 was in development, so the Switch port could be building hype for the franchise's revival.
The Force Unleashed 3 Rumors
The Force Unleashed saw huge success in 2008, selling several million copies, so LucasArts aimed to turn Starkiller's story into a franchise. The Force Unleashed 2 wasn't particularly popular among critics or fans due to its short runtime and weaker story overall. LucasArts started planning a third game in the series, to the relief of fans dissatisfied with The Force Unleashed 2's cliffhanger ending, but The Force Unleashed 3 was canceled and Disney closed LucasArts after it acquired Lucasfilm in 2013.
LucasArts' closure seemingly doomed The Force Unleashed 3, but for some time rumors that the franchise could make a comeback have circulated online. In 2020, Disney insider Daniel Richtman claimed that Disney and EA were working together on The Force Unleashed 3, which made sense given EA had an exclusive deal to develop Star Wars games at the time. Overall, the rumors seemed doubtful due to how long the series has laid dormant, but thanks to this latest Nintendo Direct, The Force Unleashed may be alive and well.
Hope for The Force Unleashed's Revival
If EA and Disney really have been working on a new Force Unleashed game for the last year-and-a-half,putting the original game on the Switch makes perfect sense. The Switch port of The Force Unleashed can get original fans nostalgic for the franchise while drumming up interest among younger Star Wars fans who missed out. If the first game's port is a success, it wouldn't be surprising if Lucasfilm announces a port for The Force Unleashed 2 alongside the long-awaited third game.
For the time being, it's entirely possible that there isn't a Force Unleashed 3 in the works. Disney hasn't really weighed in on The Force Unleashed and what it might like to do with the IP. Perhaps more importantly, Star Wars is seeing a major cultural resurgence thanks to Disney's aggressive expansion of Star Wars stories; The Force Unleashed's port may simply be meant to cash in on that hype. Still, if there's even a chance that The Force Unleashed 3 is in the works, the first game's port is a big deal. Until Disney officially discusses The Force Unleashed 3, the port could be a sign of things to come.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed releases April 20, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
