Electronic Arts announced in December their intention to purchase developer Codemasters for a staggering $1.2 billion. As part of the deal, EA now had control over a number of iconic racing franchises, including Need for Speed, Dirt, and F1. The developer created a lasting legacy for each of these series with all feeling unique in their own way, so it was unsurprising to see fans worry about the takeover, given EA's reliance on micro-transaction-based models in the past.
This was later followed by the announcement that Electronic Arts' exclusivity deal with Lucasfilm ended, and Lucasfilm Games was set to take main control of all Star Wars video-game entries. Doubt was originally cast over whether the publisher would continue to work on games based on George Lucas' world, however, the company later confirmed that their relationship would continue .
Ubisoft is currently set working on a brand-new open-world Star Wars title in collaboration with the recently formed Lucasfilm Games, but more information surrounding EA's future for the franchise has been hard to come by. Recent evidence has suggested a Battlefront sequel could be in the works , but a Twitter interaction has teased the launch of a new type of game.
NOW, THIS IS POD RACING!
Ben Walke, a producer at DICE studios, revealed his desire for a future pod-racing Star Wars game in conjunction with the recently announced acquisition of Codemasters by Electronic Arts .
Walke was tagged in a reply to the announcement tweet from EA, with one user questioning whether this sparks the start of a future pod-racing game inspired by the Star Wars universe:
@BenWalke we getting that podracing game now? pic.twitter.com/rMf7oDXoAl
The DICE Producer then replied to the tweet, clarifying his interest in the potential of this title and offering to make the petition:
I'll make the petition.
Pod-racing first appeared within Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, in which a young Anakin Skywalker tests his iconic speeder to fight for the release of his mother from slavery.
NEED FOR SPEED: POD RACING
Of all the rumors that fans could have expected to circulate from EA's purchase of Codemasters, this may have been one of the last mentions.
The prospect of a Star Wars pod-racing title is an exciting one. Audiences were treated to a single scene of the sport across the 11 movies currently released, and a developer may be tempted to revisit the iconic race. Pod-racing has in fact been visited within the Star Wars gaming universe before, with players tasked to complete the race from The Phantom Menace within Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.
If Codemasters was given the tools to effectively adapt their engines and resources to this type of game, the end product could be a spectacular one. The Star Wars universe has treated fans to a number of iconic characters, and being given the ability to test their racing skills against each other would be sure to keep fans entertained for hours.
The game would also be a welcome change to a majority of Codemasters titles, giving them the opportunity to create a game extremely different from their regular releases.
It's worth noting that Ben Walke mentions pod-racing within this Twitter feed whenever possible, confirming he is a huge fan of the event. His comment should be taken with a pinch of salt, given that no official confirmation has been received regarding the potential of this future title, but it's still acceptable to speculate the potential of a future pod-racing game coming to consoles.
XBOX Writer