Lots of big games made their mark at The Game Awards 2021. Sega released a new trailer forSonic Frontiers,the creator ofSilent Hillrevealed his new horror projectSlitterhead,Remedy Entertainment announceda long-awaited sequel toAlan Wake,and much more. Much of the show focused on new content, rather than releasing trailers for known games in development, which meant a lot of major names were missing. For instance,LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagadidn’t rear its head. Although this new entry in theLEGO Star Warssaga certainly seems like it deserved a moment at The Game Awards, Traveller’s Tales had no trailer to offer.
On the one hand, the game’s absence is surprising and a little disappointing. SinceLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagahas spent so much time shrouded in mystery, more consistent communication from Traveller’s Tales would be appreciated by fans. On the other hand, it’s probably more practical thatThe Skywalker Sagadidn’t have a presence. If the game still has six months left to go before release, then Traveller’s Tales is likely better off keeping its head down and focusing on development, saving a marketing push for whenever the game is actually ready.
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The Skywalker Saga’s Absence
If Traveller’s Tales was going to reveal any more trailers forThe Skywalker Sagain 2021, The Game Awards would have been the place to do it.The Skywalker Saga’s repeated presenceat high-profile events like E3 and Gamescom means it would’ve hardly been out of place at The Game Awards, which is just as much a gaming news event as it is an award ceremony.
Considering how long it has been since there was a newSkywalker Sagatrailer, an appearance at TGA wouldn’t have been out of the question. The latest trailer for the game, which revealedThe Skywalker Saga’s new spring 2022 release window, came out during Gamescom Opening Night Live in August 2021. With several months gone by, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Traveller’s Tales putting together a new trailer for the awards ceremony, one offering another peek atThe Skywalker Saga’s new featuresand announcing a more narrow release window. Instead, it seems Traveller’s Tales wants to stick with spring 2022 for now.
Star Warsdid have a presence at The Game Awards 2021 thanks to the announcement ofStar Wars: Eclipsefrom Quantic Dream, butEclipsepromises to be a very different game fromThe Skywalker Saga.While it seems likely thatEclipsewill exploreStar Wars' darker side and delve into its politics,LEGO Star Warshas always been good at depictingStar Wars' senses of humor and adventure. That knack for levity deserved to stand alongside the mysteriousEclipse.
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Working Quietly on The Skywalker Saga
As much asThe Skywalker Sagadeserved to be there, it’s probably for the best that it wasn’t.The Skywalker Saga’s multiple delays stretching over long periods of time suggest that development is moving rather slowly, which means Traveller’s Tales actually may not have had much new information to offer byThe Game Awards 2021. If that’s the case, it made the right choice by not devoting time and resources to a new trailer. Instead, it’s keeping its eyes ahead and focusing onThe Skywalker Saga’s future.
UItimately,The Skywalker Sagamay not have lost that much publicity from missing this major event. After all, the game has earned a ton of publicity already thanks to its delays. When a game first gets delayed for six months, only to get another longer delay after that, the game industry is bound to notice. While it’s unfortunate that the game has repeatedly missed deadlines,ifThe Skywalker Sagahas a strong launchit’ll be a testament to the value of patience and diligence in game development.
It also doesn’t hurt thatThe Skywalker Sagaspeaks for itself.LEGO Star Warsand the greater licensedLEGOgames franchise are defined in-part by being slow to change, repeating many elements rather than consistently innovating.The Skywalker Saga’s vast overworld, as well as itsmore complex take onLEGO Star Warscombat, make the game stand out purely by virtue of being different. Lots of eyes are on this game because of its potential to refresh and revitalize Traveller’s Tales’LEGOgames. As much asThe Skywalker Sagadeserved a time slot at The Game Awards 2021, missing the event wasn’t a setback.
The Skywalker Saga’s Next Steps
SinceThe Skywalker Sagadidn’t show up at this event, it wouldn’t be surprising if Traveller’s Tales waited a few more months to address the game again. Early 2022 is packed with major game releases,fromElden RingtoHorizon: Forbidden West,so maybe Traveller’s Tales will wait until March or April to release a new trailer and clarifyThe Skywalker Saga’s release date. That time window may seem far off, but considering how often Traveller’s Tales has let months go by without announcements, getting new information in three or four seems believable.
Waiting around for Traveller’s Tales to address its upcoming game certainly gets tiring for some, but Traveller’s Tales' approach to developing the game is probably for the best. Rather than constantly hyping the game and inflating expectations, it’s likely aiming to make the best first impression possible without telling fans every single detail in advance. It’s a safe approach that’s bound to serveThe Skywalker Sagawell.LEGO Star Warsis so well knownand liked that it doesn’t need an overly aggressive marketing campaign, so it’s okay ifThe Skywalker Sagaisn’t at every gaming event. Between a well established audience and a focus on the game’s merit,The Skywalker Sagais still poised to hopefully succeed.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Sagareleases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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