‘Star Wars’ Strategy Game Marked Safe Following EA Layoffs?

Last week, we learned that the 600+ layoffs at EA’s various studios also claimed an in-development first-person shooter Star Wars title. However, that wasn’t the only Lucasfilm project the publisher had under its umbrella. There is another…

Well, according to GameSpot, there is, anyway. According to the studio, the collaborative effort between Bit Reactor and Titanfall’s Respawn could be safe from corporate restructuring.  

Last week was difficult for the industry, and more so because of our strong relationships within the other teams at Respawn.
But for those asking, we are still hard at work, and our game was unaffected by last week's news.

— BIT REACTOR (@bitreactor) March 2, 2024

Former XCOM developers run Bit Reactor in Hunt Valley, Maryland. It has been hiring for several art, design, and engineering positions. However, the job description Gamespot refers to in its article does not mention Star Wars. So, it’s totally up in the air if the studio is even working on a strategy game based in a galaxy far, far away.

Bit Reactor announced the development of the Star Wars game back in January 2022. Since then, we’ve yet to see anything materialize. The studio showed off plenty of pictures of their new workspace, but there wasn’t a single droid, Jedi, or Ewok anywhere.

We are excited to announce that we are developing a new Star Wars game! https://t.co/H9K0SSYoBZ

— BIT REACTOR (@bitreactor) January 27, 2022

Now, an XCOM-like Star Wars strategy game is something I could really get behind, especially if you could play as both Imperial and Rebel factions. Modern Lucasfilm titles lack the ability to play through a whole game as a member of the Empire. 

For some reason, developers keep focusing on only the good guys or forcing some redemption arc in the game where you join the Rebels (see Battlefront II‘s forgettable single-player campaign, for example).

It’s hard to know what to expect from Bit Reactor and Respawn now. At the same time, the game may still be in development; who knows precisely how EA’s recent cost-saving measures impact it? 

Let’s hope for the best. However, if the unknown game turns out to be Moisture Farming with Grogu, I will be quite distraught. 

[Source: GameSpot]