BETS AND DREAMS - Ubisoft Should Forge Their Own Star Wars Narrative
Great potential for originality, there is.
By Jay Tee
25/01/21
The legacy of LucasArts lives on in rebranded fashion, and Lucasfilm Games haven’t wasted any time hedging their bets on partnerships with recognised development houses. One such handshake led to the announcement of an open world Star Wars game from Ubisoft Massive (the team responsible for The Division). Even though EA will still be working on multiple projects, the doors have opened for other teams to provide their own unique spin on this ubiquitous, and highly debated franchise.
BETS
THIS IS THE WAY - Given the extreme popularity of The Mandalorian, and all its upcoming Disney+ spin offs, I feel as though Ubi will try to steer clear of Jedi territory and double down on the bounty hunter angle. There have been countless explorations of the lightsaber wielding warriors, so if they can evoke the possibilities of what the criminally cancelled Star Wars 1313 was shooting for, we’re in for a treat.
ASSEMBLE YOUR CREW - The Division may have technically been playable solo, but both titles were fundamentally co-op cover shooters. It’s that element of exploring together that would be a hugely exciting move for an open world Star Wars title; I reckon this will be the approach they take, which will by extension give them flexibility to tell original stories in a familiar world.
KEEP IT FRESH - There is a reasonable argument to be made that a lot of recent Ubisoft franchise titles are weirdly similar, and do little to differentiate themselves and what makes their respective gameplay loops unique. Thankfully, Massive has a history of forging their own approach with The Division, which is probably the least like Assassins Creed, Ghost Recon or Far Cry. One gets the sense that this trend will continue with Star Wars, so I bet we won’t see too many towers to climb or family trees to eliminate.
DREAMS
BROTHERS IN ARMS - Four player co-op, drop in drop out, with synchronised mission progress (meaning you take your story progression back when you return to your own game). This is definitely not out of the realm of possibility, but also something that might get overlooked in favour of focusing on other features. If they do end up going down the multiplayer route, this would be a legendary way to elevate the experience.
SEAMLESS TRANSITION - I’m not expecting a No Man’s Sky sized universe (and I’d take meticulously constructed level design over procedural generation any day), but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream big. To truly immerse players, Massive should embrace a smaller world to play in, but one that’s packed to the rafters with unique, bespoke moments.
DEEP CUSTOMISATION - If they go down the third person RPG route, it would be maximum jolly if a fully fledged ship editor was included. This would allow you to completely deck out the interior design and structure of your ship, with areas for your co-op buddies to hangout, play mini games, and sit on your bridge while you roam the galaxy.
It’s great that Ubisoft have rebalanced their output to service existing franchises and explore new IP. More of this please!