Without a doubt, Disney and Lucasfilm Games have spent a lot of time recently painting the future of Star Wars games. There are plenty of rumors out there, which seem substantial, to new confirmed titles like Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game and the Knights of the Old Republic Remake. It stands to reason that Disney and Lucasfilm Games are trying to usher in a new golden era, and fans will probably see more original games out over the next few years.
This is because of EA’s exclusivity contract with Star Wars, which ends in 2023, and it’ll allow other companies to tackle the IP as well (EA will still be working on Star Wars games too). It’s something to keep in mind as Disney is teasing a new Star Wars game announcement, or an announcement related to a game, in December 2021.
As part of Star Wars’ 50th anniversary, Disney is pushing a new line of merch called “Bring Home The Bounty” where every Tuesday through the rest of the year contains a new Star Wars product announcement. December 14, as seen below, features a generic-looking gamepad, and so it stands to reason that it is related to video games. However, fans should still temper their expectations.
No EA Star Wars Game Announcements in 2021
Earlier this year, EA stated that it would not show any new Star Wars games until 2022, and that rules out any EA-related franchise like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Battlefront, or a new IP. That counts out a good chunk of any current rumors, overall.
There’s the possibility it is the official announcement of the rumored Quantic Dream Star Wars game, or befitting the overall theme, the reveal of the Mandalorian game. The latter seems likely, given this holiday season will see the release of The Book of Boba Fett and not a season of The Mandalorian. At the same time, this may be problematic because the December 21 announcement is clearly related to The Mandalorian and other announcements could be further along/more ready for a reveal.
Chances are, even though it is a gamepad, it may be something like a new Star Wars mobile game. It could be something that operates outside of EA’s contract, like a new LEGO Star Wars game, but that would be odd since LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga releases next year. It could just be that it’s the official release date for that.
The chances of it being a big announcement seem slim, particularly because of EA not being involved. The Ubisoft Star Wars game and KOTOR Remake likely point to the fact that, due to the contract, there’s only so much that can be said. Having A LOT of Star Wars games revealed but not being able to say much about them will only add to fan frustration.
Either way, fans should temper expectations. It could be a new game announcement or it could be an announcement related to an existing game, even if that’s a bit odd (stranger things have happened). It probably won’t be an EA game, and it’s unlikely to be a non-EA game. This points to something smaller, and while any and all Star Wars games are exciting, fans shouldn’t expect to see any more heavy hitters before 2022/2023 rolls around.
Multiple Star Wars projects are in development.