Ubisoft’s Star Wars Game Gets Disappointing Release Update

While Star Wars has plenty to offer the gaming world in 2023, Ubisoft's highly anticipated open-world tile encountered some bumps in the road.

For years, fans have been clamoring to be let loose in the Star Wars galaxy through a fully open-world gaming experience. Fortunately, these long-time prayers were answered in early 2021 when Lucasfilm ended its EA exclusivity.

One of the most highly anticipated announcements from that day hails from the gaming publisher Ubisoft, famed for Assasin's Creed and Far Cry. 

Marking the first time in eight years that a company outside of EA has worked on a Star Wars title, Ubisoft's new project was described as a 'groundbreaking' and highly story-driven open-world game led by Massive Entertainment (known for The Division franchise). 

Senior Vice President of Disney Games, Sean Shoptaw, has also promised fans that the title is "worth the wait." Unfortunately, though, a new update suggested that this wait could be longer than anticipated.

More Time To Wait for the Galaxy Far, Far Away

On Twitter, Ubisoft Creative Director Julian Gerighty teased fans about the studio's upcoming open-world Star Wars video game:

"Happy New Year to you all. 2023 is going to be huge for us. Join the adventure."

The Star Wars logo was attached to the tweet, and below it were the studios collaborating on the release. 

Initially, many interpreted "2023 is going to be a huge year for us," as the game is being released sometime this year. This caused a massive surge of interest but was something that Gerighty quickly corrected.

In reply to the original post, Gerighty provided more context and clarified that the year would be "huge for [the] teams building [the] game," quickly quelling any tale of the game seeing a release in the next 12 months:

"This seems to have sparked quite some interest! To be clear, I meant that 2023 will be huge for our teams building our game (which you could be a part of!). 

For official news, keep an eye on Ubisoft!"

However, this unfortunate update was two-fold, as Gerighty pointed out that fans "could be a part of" the project, although it is unclear if this means community involvement in some form or is simply hinting at a recruitment wave for developers, voice actors, and other critical jobs. 

When Will Ubisoft's Star Wars Game Release?

While this update will be unfortunate for fans who expected a 2023 release, only for that release window to fall more likely into 2024 or 2025, this news is still heartening in some ways. 

It's important to note that the game is still on track and that the idea of 2023 as a "huge year" for the project could mean that the mystery surrounding it is about to dissipate somewhat. In an ideal world, fans could see a trailer at The Game Awards at the year's close. 

Even if that doesn't come to pass, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are actively working on the title, and it's in a much better position than the Knights of the Old Republic remake.

Still, fans know little about the project, which has remained the case for a long time and waiting for a game this long always brings about anxieties and concerns. 

Two years after the initial announcement, it's unclear what the remit of the game will be, if the Jedi will even be in it, if there'll be an in-depth character creation tool, or anything else. 

However, suppose 2023 being a "huge year" for the studio means the game is finally taken off the back burner and given active development. In that case, it could mean that these questions are finally answered and more updates are announced.