After a few barren years under EA, theStar Warslicense is now seemingly open for other developers to experiment with, and a few exciting projects are already in the works. The long-delayedStar Wars: Huntersmobile and Switch exclusive is finally set to release in June, Ubisoft’s open-world adventureStar Wars Outlawswill launch in August, and a handful of otherStar Warsvideo game projects are being quietly worked on in the background. If recent reports are to be believed, thenStar Warshas even more irons in the fire than it’s let on.
Very recently, a report from DualShockers' Kyle Knight claimed that developerCreative Assembly currently has threeTotal Warvideo games in production, with one of those being a licensedStar Warsentry. While this report didn’t go into much detail, the concept of aTotal War Star Warsgame is exciting on its own and could end up being exactly the video game thatStar Warsneeds right now.
The Star Wars Franchise Needs a Total War Game
Star Wars Very Rarely Emphasizes The ‘War’ Half of Its Title
While almost every piece ofStar Warsmedia is set amid some kind of galactic war, very fewStar Warsprojectshave actually made their large-scale conflict the biggest focal point of the story or action. Instead, it’s often the case that these galactic wars are seen through the eyes of individuals or groups who perform smaller tasks in an attempt to assist the overall war effort.
But whenStar Warsdoes fully lean into the grand scale of its galactic wars, it’s often resulted in some of the most memorable, and most beloved moments in franchise history. Thoughthe originalStar Warstrilogymainly focuses on Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest of the Rebel crew trying to avoid the Empire, there are a few brief moments of all-out war, withANew Hope’s Death Star Trench Run,Empire Strikes Back’s Battle of Hoth, andReturn of the Jedi’s Battle of Endor being the best examples. These sequences do their best to show the mighty force of the Empire, and the guerrilla tactics the Rebels are forced to employ to win.
Rogue One’s entire third act is probably the most the franchise has ever leaned into its titular concept, and it’s become the movie’s lasting legacy. The battle above and on Scarif’s surface essentially plays out like a classic war movie, with plenty of dogfights, heroic last stands, and big explosions.
BothanimatedClone Warsshowshave also done a good job of highlighting the scale of the franchise’s never-ending conflicts, often portraying them through the lens of loyal, seemingly expendable soldiers.
A Star Wars Total War Game Can Show The Scale of The Series' Galactic Wars
Plenty of video games over the last few decades have tried to capture the epic scale ofStar Wars' galactic conflicts, but few have managed to really convey the sheer size and spectacle of war across the stars.2006’sEmpire at Warand theBattlefrontseries are probably the closestStar Warsgames have gotten to capturing the scale of its in-universe wars, with players being able to control large armies of on-foot infantry and vehicles as well as vast fleets of starships, conquering an entire galaxy of planets along the way.
It’s been a long time sinceStar Wars: Empire at Warwas released, and though it’s still a great game even by today’s standards, it’s time for a newStar Warsstrategy game to use modern technology to show these galactic conflicts on a scale fans have never seen before. This rumoredTotal War Star Warsgame could be exactly that. TheTotal Warseriesis renowned for delivering expansive strategy experiences that often span entire continents, and sometimes even worlds. If any series can successfully depictStar Wars' vast scale, it’sTotal War.
Total War
Creative Assembly’s Total War is a series of strategy games that began with Shogun: Total War in June 2000. There have been a plethora of other Total War games since, covering a variety of different historical time periods and featuring a similar mix of turn-based and real-time strategy as the original game.Along with the series' many historical games, the Total War series is also known for its Warhammer releases.
