By the time Star Wars Eclipse is playing on your game console, it will have been a decade since the premiere of the brilliant looking game that wasn’t, Star Wars 1313, previewed here at borg.  We never learned why the realistic virtual reality-filled game wasn’t released, but since then we’ve seen Star Wars: The Old Republic, Star Wars Battlefront, and more, and just last year it was Star Wars: Squadrons.  Before we see any actual game play, Lucasfilm Games has released what they’re calling a “cinematic trailer” for the next step in Star Wars gaming: Star Wars Eclipse.  Familiar characters include C-3PO, Yoda, Nute Gunray, and a Mon Calamari dressed in Jedi robes, but some game sequences revealed have characters that look straight out of Avatar.

The downside?  That’s tens of thousands of hours of effort for a game about the Star Wars prequel era.  You’ve got to ask: Are people really still interested in that era?  With shows like the animated The Bad Batch and the live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi, clearly Disney thinks the answer is “yes.”

Here is some marketing material for the game:

WEAVE A TAPESTRY OF INTERLACED DESTINIES

See the galaxy through the eyes of an ensemble cast of multiple, charismatic playable characters, each with their own morality, personality, motivations, and impact upon each other and the story at large.

COMPOSE AN ORIGINAL STAR WARS™ STORY

With all-new characters and environments, you have the power to make choices with consequences thanks to many outcomes in this deeply branching narrative.

SHAPE YOUR FATE IN THE OUTER RIM

In an uncharted section of the galaxy with never-before-seen species and planets to discover, this part of the Outer Rim is rife with opportunity – and political tensions that could alter the fabric of peace. What will you do?

Here’s the trailer:

And some stills:

Don’t expect the game for a long while.  The website says it’s in early development.  Star Wars Eclipse is being created by Quantic Dream and Lucasfilm Games.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg