EA and Lucasfilm shared first look at a new single-player strategy game set in the Star Wars universe, at Star Wars Celebration in Japan.The game was originally announced in 2022 as one of three new Star Wars titles being developed or co-developed by Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind and, including a new first person shooter and another entry in the Jedi series.There isn't a firm release date yet, but willbe available on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 in 2026."In , players will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer, to command an elite squad of cunning operatives through a gritty and authentic story set in the twilight of the Clone Wars," according to a press release published alongside the announcement trailer.was born out of a collaboration between Respawn and a new studio called Bit Reactor.
The inspiration the game clearly draws from and other Firaxis strategy games didn't happen by accident.Bit Reactor's staff includes some former Firaxis' employees, and the founder and creative director of Bit Reactor, Greg Foertsch, was a senior art director on and ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement"Our vision for is grounded in gameplay design pillars that weave in the immersive galaxy with engaging turn-based tactics gameplay," Foertsch said in a statement."It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original story from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation."Striking some kind of balance between the mass appeal of Star Wars and the niche expectations of strategy and tactics fans has always been the goal of .
In an interview with in 2024, Foertsch and Bit Reactor's lead animator Hector Antunez (another XCOM alum) suggested that they wanted their Star Wars game to have the cinematic storytelling of Respawn's games without missing out on a satisfying strategy experience."I don't think that complexity equals depth," Foertsch said, "and I think that that's really what we're focused on.Differentiating that nuance between those two things."
