Let me tell you a story about a game I saw all the way back at E3 2012, Star Wars 1313. Announced last year, the mysterious IP offered a "mature" take on the Star Wars universe. At E3, a brief gameplay presentation was shown and I was simply blown away by what I saw. It was primarily a third-person action-adventure shooter, somewhat reminiscent of Uncharted — but in space obviously. What stuck out to me was the impressive visuals and lighting. Was this a current- or next-gen game?
As it turns out, regardless of what it once was, Star Wars 1313 might be forced into a next-gen role. Sources familiar with game development at LucasArts have told Kotaku that development of Star Wars 1313 has been "frozen or put on hold since the Disney company's November acquisition of Star Wars creator George Lucas' media company."
At the time, it was believed that Star Wars 1313 was unaffected by Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. "Business as usual," we were told. Now we're hearing something different. The sources told Kotaku that the the freeze has caused a delay that could push game, which was slated for a late 2013 release on next-gen platforms, to "potentially miss this year's E3 and slide into next year." A release next-year would obviously mean a PS4 and next Xbox release. Disney doesn't seem willing to divulge too much information.
"LucasArts has been working diligently to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that the new Star Wars movies present," a company spokesperson told the site. "Star Wars 1313 continues production."
Could it be that the game was delayed in order to better fit with the plot of the newly planned movie trilogy? I'd hate to see it go from the clever concept of a gritty bounty hunter game to a lighter jedi-type game. We all know that's where the new movie trilogy is headed anyway.
[Kotaku]
