Shack Chat: Which developer would you like to see make a Star Wars game?

There have been a whole lot of Star Wars games over the years. Most of these are either story-focused third-person titles, games that put you in the cockpit of some iconic ship, or massive Battlefield-like experiences. With so many talented developers out there that have mastered a wide variety of genres, we set about imagining what a Star Wars game might look like if these studios got a chance to develop their take on the franchise.

Question: Which developer would you like to see make a Star Wars game?

Bandai Namco (Tekken Project) - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Bounty Hunter

Let's do something a little different for Star Wars. Once upon a time, fighting games had made the move to 3D. We got some amazing titles like Tekken and Virtua Fighter, but we also got some games that really stunk, like Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi. This attempt at a Star Wars fighting game was truly awful for its wooden movement, dull combo system, and ugly visuals. However, almost three decades have passed since that game first befouled the original PlayStation. Maybe it's time to try a Star Wars fighting game again and make it… you know… good.

Bandai Namco's Tekken Project doesn't just specialize in great fighting games, it excels at doing weird stuff, like Nintendo's Pokken Tournament. Give this team an opportunity to create an entirely new cast of characters set in the Star Wars universe. Heck, set the whole thing in the High Republic era so that the team essentially gets a clean slate to work with. Let Harada's team set the rules, the mechanics, and establish the setting, and watch them go to work. I'm willing to bet they'd even tell a Star Wars story that's unlike what we've seen in a lot of those games to this point.

Larian Studios - TJ Denzer, Likes the idea of tactical RPG Star Wars

You know what I was thinking as I looked at this week’s Shack Chat question. I was thinking, “what genre have we not seen in a Star Wars game in a long time? Who would handle it best?” And I landed on tactical RPG. I’m well aware of the BioWare Knights of the Old Republic RPGs of yesteryear, but those kind of serve my point as to what I (and I daresay others) want to see.

Give me a rag tag squad of characters aligned with different factions of the Star Wars universe. Let me bring them together and go on an adventure across various planets, battlefields, and new and familiar environments. Let me go turn by turn, queuing up my Jedi to Force Lift someone while my smuggler hits a killing shot on the helpless target now pulled out of cover. Let me make decisions that can be as small as what color my lightsaber is and as large as what planet to save from something like a Death Star attack.

And who better to do something like that than Larian Studios? Even if it weren’t for Baldur’s Gate, I’d think these guys were the one. Their understanding of world building, character/world interactions, decision-making, and the stakes to make consequences of those decisions interesting are all Larian trademarks. That said, if they weren’t available, I’d also accept Obsidian Entertainment based on Pillars of Eternity and InXile for its work on Wasteland 3.

Beat Games - Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Beat Saber may not be a Star Wars game, but it features the best lightsaber gameplay experience to ever be shipped. I would love to see developer Beat Games make a multiplayer lightsaber battle game. Make it so.

Bethesda - Bill Lavoy, F4SE Fan

I’ve never really been drawn to the Star Wars universe like so many others. I see the intensity that washes over people when a new movie, show, or game releases. I’ve heard the heated debates about which movie is better, and the long conversations about the lore. But, nothing has ever really pulled me into that space. I’ve never felt a connection to any of the characters.

This is why I think Bethesda should make a Star Wars game. While you can certainly criticize its games for being buggy, its environmental storytelling, lore, and open worlds are some of the best in the entire industry. Bethesda makes games that people play and are passionate about many years after others would have faded into obscurity, and that’s what I think is needed to draw me into the Star Wars universe.

So, yes, my Shack Chat answer is based entirely on wanting one of the best studios on the planet to make a game so that I can like something. That’s how you internet, right?

Lucas Pope - Sam Chandler, Menial jobs in space

I love Lucas Pope’s games. Papers, Please is a tremendous title that puts players in the shoes of a border security officer in a highly stressful and emotionally draining environment. Return of the Obra Dinna sees players walk around an empty ship, cataloging the fates of the crewman that perished at sea as part of an insurance claim. I want to see Pope’s take on the Star Wars universe, specifically from the perspective of some job that we just don’t really think about. Let me be one of the aliens that handles the paperwork for some hyper-specific but definitely important part of life in this universe.

Remedy Entertainment- Dennis White Jr., In space, no one can hear Yoda scream

Star Wars explores so much in so many different ways but I would love to see a project where a dev team like Remedy gives us a taste of what surviving some of those horrific moments in this massive universe would feel like. I can think of the aftermath of major battle scenes but being drawn into a narrative that explores some of the eldritch level horror found throughout the galaxy would be pretty fun and fresh as well. This kind of approach would mean creating characters with interesting personalities and a creepy narrative that still manages to pull the player in. I would trust Remedy to bring something new to the franchise that also makes me look over my shoulder a bit. We’ve seen some dabbling into the horror side a bit by Star Wars fans. Check out the above trailer for Deathtroopers, a game made by one person apparently and released earlier this year.

Second Dinner - Donovan Erskine, No longer addicted to Marvel Snap

One of the many appeals of Marvel Snap is the way Second Dinner cleverly adapts iconic (and lesser-known) Marvel characters to fit the game’s format. Similar to Marvel, Star Wars has a virtually endless well of characters, creatures, and locations to pull from. Give me Star Wars Snap! You could do some awesome card designs and VFX with the Star Wars IP, and Second Dinner would knock it out of the park.

INTI CREATES - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo show host, The force is strong!

What developer would I like to see make a Star Wars game? I think I would like to see the folks at INTI CREATES take a stab at doing something Star Wars related. It would be neat to see a Star Wars game that reminds players of the Super Star Wars games on the SNES but have that classic 8-bit feel to them. Giving franchises a modern feel is an INTI CREATES specialty and if a developer could do something fun and innovative for Star Wars, it would be INTI CREATES. It would be neat to see Star Wars as a Metroidvania or an 8 bit modern game with a retro feel. My answer for this question is INTI CREATES.

Star Wars is one of those franchises that seem eternal, so why not let some other studios have a go at the IP? Let us know in the comments what developer you would love to see lend their flair to Star Wars.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.