EA has now officially unveiled the new Star Wars Squadrons. Billed as the next big Star Wars game, it is set for release later this year on all major (current generation) consoles along with VR support. Focused almost solely on aerial combat, players will be dawning their very own starship across both a single player campaign and a new multiplayer suite. Head below for more early details and a first look at the official reveal trailer.
Star Wars Squadrons coming later this year
Back in March, a seemingly unheard of new Star Wars game was leaked on PSN as Project Maverick. We learned the game was indeed a real thing (with a working title) and was being developed at EA Motive. After a cancelled Star Wars Battlefront game was shelved in 2019, some of that project’s assets were rolled over to Project Maverick, which has now been officially unveiled as the new Star Wars Squadrons.
EA Motive was previously responsible for the single player campaign aspect of Star Wars: Battlefront II and is now confirmed as the lead for the new Squadrons title.
Galactic aerial combat:
Just as the name suggests, this is an aerial combat game set in the Star Wars universe. The experience is set after the events of Return of The Jedi and features a number of starship designs from that era of the mythos, including some from Rogue One. The campaign appears to take place from the perspective of a pair of fighter pilot squadrons representing both the New Republic and what is left of the the Empire at this point in the story.
We will also be getting a new multiplayer suite in Star Wars Squadrons as well. Seemingly a perfect fit for galactic dog fights, the multiplayer will be a five on five setup and will indeed support the cross play EA has been boasting about lately.
One thing EA should never boast about is the way it has handled in-app purchases and the loot box scam over the last few years. The last thing anyone wants here is another repeat of the Battlefront 2 debacle, but it sounds like EA has learned its lesson.
Star Wars Squadrons will allow players to unlock a host of customization options and items for their starship. That includes both performance-related upgrades and aesthetic personalizations, but they will all be earned “solely through gameplay,” according to today’s press release. Which hopefully means the loot box system you might be familiar with from past EA games is no more.
Star Wars Squadrons is set for release on October 2, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. With cross-play between all platforms ready to go, the PC version will be available on Epic Games Store, Origin, and Steam. A VR version is also scheduled for both PS4 and compatible PC platforms. While the game is being billed as a AAA experience for the most part, it will launch at $40 and is already up for pre-order.
9to5Toys’ Take:
While the Star Wars film universe has been trucking along with a fair amount of success, the video game space has been troublesome at best. EA has cancelled a number of games over the last few years and has all but fumbled the modern-era Battlefront franchise. While Fallen Order was a shining light among years of disappointment, here’s to hoping EA can redeem itself in the Star Wars multiplayer space with the new starship combat in Star Wars Squadrons. The not-so AAA price does have me worried, but only time will tell now.
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