Amy Hennig's Star Wars game will be released in 2018, is much more than 'Star Wars Uncharted'

The ex-Uncharted scribe discussed what fans should (and shouldn't) expect from Visceral Games' Star Wars title, why she'll never play Uncharted 4, and more.

David Craddock

November 14, 2016 1:28 PM

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In an exclusive interview with Glixel, Amy Hennig teased details on her upcoming Star Wars game in development at Dead Space studio Visceral Games, and confirmed a broad 2018 release window.

Hennig made a name for herself by writing the first three Uncharted games in Naughty Dog's ongoing series. While Visceral's upcoming title may be spiritual similar to the games she cut her teeth on, Hennig and her team will keep it firmly grounded in Star Wars tropes.

For instance, Uncharted stuck close to Nathan Drake; he was the game's main characters, its Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Star Wars tells ensemble stories where characters go on adventures in parallel to one another.

Being so ensconced in work at Visceral gives Hennig ample opportunity to heal old wounds. She had worked on Uncharted 4—released this May—for two years when, in 2014, she left Naughty Dog amid rumors that she had butted heads with studio executives over creative differences.

Having departed so unceremoniously, it's no wonder Hennig has steered clear of playing Uncharted 4. "If you break up with your spouse and they get remarried," she says, "you don't want to see photos of the happy couple on Facebook, do you? When you're pulling these characters out of yourself, it's kind of twisted, in a way, to see them in the hands of someone else."

Hennig admitted that she had reservations about working on a Star Wars title. Visceral Games GM Steve Papoutsis pitched her on a "scrappy" third-person action-adventure game, which didn't strike Hennig as particularly ambitious. Papoutsis wooed her by promising close contact with representatives from Lucasfilm and Skywalker Ranch.

Visiting both locales, Hennig vividly recalled fond memories of seeing Star Wars (Episode IV) for the first time and borrowing her grandparents' 8mm camera to shoot her own films.

"There's this giant warehouse full of Home Depot shelves stacked with precious things from your childhood," Hennig said of her visits. "Luke's Stormtrooper costume, the original Yoda, just kind of saggy and slumped over on this dusty shelf...it's almost silly, seeing all this precious stuff just sitting there so unceremoniously."

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.