The history between Star Wars video games and Electronic Arts has been long, and sometimes rocky, but prosperous.
In 2013, EA captured the near-future of the gaming side of Star Wars when they signed a 10-year licensing deal that would last all the way into 2023. During this time, the company announced that they would be remaking the insanely popular Star Wars: Battlefront series that saw huge success at Lucasarts in the early 2000s.
After two entries with the Battlefront titles, 2019 played host to the canon single-player phenomenon known as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Coming off of Fallen Order's success, EA then published Star Wars: Squadrons, a creative deviation from planet-jumping, grounded warfare, to starship dogfights at multiple locations throughout the galaxy.
With the end of EA's licensing deal coming in 2023, many questioned whether Lucasfilm Games would continue its partnership with the publishing giant after the deal ended. After an official announcement that Star Wars games would be developed and published by multiple companies in the future, Lucasfilm Games confirmed that EA would still have a part to play in the future.
With an announcement for the sequel to Fallen Order in high demand, and many fans desperately hoping for a Battlefront III, EA has finally given some insight on what to expect this year, as well as next year for Star Wars.
NO STAR WARS CONTENT AT EA PLAY
With EA Play Live quickly coming up on July 22, 2021, EA Star Wars confirmed via Twitter that it would not be announcing or showing any new Star Wars games for this year.
The studio also announced that it "look[s] forward" to sharing its "vision" next year, teasing a major year for the gaming world of Star Wars:
"We won’t be showing any new Star Wars games at EA Play Live on July 22nd… but all of us look forward to celebrating with you next year when we share our vision for the Galaxy far, far away!"
A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR STAR WARS GAMING
While it is disappointing to hear that EA will not be gifting players with any Star Wars content this year, it is very encouraging to know that there is a plan for the future, as well as a promise that they "look forward to celebrating" with fans next year.
EA Play 2023 will undoubtedly be a huge year for Star Wars games. Seeing how much success that Cal Kestis received in his introduction as an Order 66 survivor, it is almost definite that the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order will be announced to continue his story.
It is no secret that the first installment of the Battlefront franchise garnered a hefty amount of dissatisfaction. After an extremely long road, and initial disappointment that mirrored its predecessor, 2017's Battlefront II saw a massive influx of new players and popularity once its kinks were worked out. However, the discontinuation of its frequent updates led many fans to believe that a Battlefront III would soon be in the works. The possibility of a third title being confirmed is more of a coin toss, but the huge player base the game accrued by the end of its live-service run can't be ignored by the studio.
The wait for 2023 will be long, but all fans of the Star Wars gaming industry can keep their eyes on the horizon, as it seems that EA has major plans for their future relationship with Star Wars.