Star Wars Game In The Works From Controversial Studio
A controversial studio may be making a whole new look for Star Wars gaming.
This article is more than 2 years old
It would seem that Quantic Dream, a game developing studio behind Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, is moving from androids to droids, as rumors suggest the company is developing a new Star Wars game. In accordance with various sources, the new game will be more action-focused, which is a considerably side-step from the gaming studio’s usual genre.
According to Kotaku, the Star Wars rumors started when a YouTuber named Gautoz claimed that the Paris-based studio had made a deal with Disney for developing a new Star Wars game after concluding its three-games publishing exclusivity with Sony. Though Kotaku couldn’t corroborate the authenticity of said information, a separate report from DualShockers’s Tom Henderson, an industry outsider known for his Battlefield leaks, confirms Gautoz’s claims. Interestingly enough, the Quantic Dream Twitter handle liked a post about the studio developing a purported game.
Apparently, Quantic Dream has been working on the Star Wars game for roughly 18 months now, creating a new and altogether different title. The new game won’t be the conventional type of quick-time-event-driven game the studio’s known for, but a more traditionally-oriented action game, or perhaps an open-world game with a multiplayer element. The emergence of a new Star Wars game should come as a surprise, given Electronic Arts’ loss of exclusive gaming rights to one of Disney’s most lucrative franchises and Disney’s revival of Lucasfilm Games to handle the company’s gaming licensing deals.
Considering the sheer number of developers that pounced at Star Wars gaming licenses following EA’s loss of exclusivity, Quantic Dream’s development of a Star Wars gaming title doesn’t seem so far-fetched. In January this year, Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games announced the development of an open-world Star Wars game, Zynga announced a Star Wars: Hunters, and Traveler’s Tales announced the development of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, in 2019, which is scheduled for a 2022 release date. And let’s not forget about the iconic Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic, which is finally getting a big-budget remake. With everything said, neither Disney nor Quantic Dream has commented on the circulating rumors suggesting the development of the new game.
That’s not unusual though, if Quantic Dream isn’t yet ready to talk abotu their Star Wars project. After concluding their three-games contract with Sony and releasing Detroit: Become Human as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Quantic Dream has pursued independence, expanding into games development and publishing while simultaneously founding a new studio in Montreal. And the results of the company’s efforts bore fruits: in 2019, a Chinese Internet conglomerate, NetEase, secured a minority investment into Quantic Dream for an undisclosed amount, allowing the studio to stem further away from Sony and release its titles for other platforms, including PC.
However, it’s worth noting that the company came under fire for the same reasons that currently plague the gaming industry: discrimination and harassment. Like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard, Quantic Dream was also under investigation for sexist and racist culture, controversial imagery, and incredible “crunch” hours, which added 15-35 additional work hours per week in light of the game’s release. Most of these allegations have been disputed in court. As for the purported Star Wars game, unfortunately, there’s not much detail with which to draw a complete picture, but we’ll be on the lookout.
