Publisher EA has announced today that the company has shut down Dead Space creator Visceral Games. This news comes from a message posted on EA’s website.
The studio has been quiet since the release of Battlefield Hardline, but it was known that a Star Wars game from director Amy Hennig has been in the works for a number of years. According to the statement on the EA site, the game is being reimagined and transferred to a different studio for further development. Unfortunately for those hoping to see an Uncharted-style game set in a galaxy far, far away, it sounds like this new game won’t be that anymore.
“Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe,” Patrick Söderlund, EA’s executive vice president, said in the statement. “In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace. It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design.”
What does this mean for the Star Wars game? Söderlund made some vague promises, but it also sounds like the company is trying to tap into the “Games as a service” model used for titles like Destiny 2. “We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life,” he said. “Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.”
A change in direction for the new Star Wars game means its original initial 2019 release window has been scrapped and is once again TBA. A new release window will be announced later. Development will be done by teams across all of EA, with EA Vancouver leading the charge.
The good news for Visceral is that EA plans to retain as many employees as possible. These employees will join other teams and projects within EA.
So what do you think? Are you sad to see yet another game developer taken from us by EA? Do you have hope for this Star Wars game anymore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
