Team Talk: What are you expecting from Lucasfilm Games?

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It was 2013 when EA triumphantly announced its 10-year exclusive deal with the Star Wars licence and now it seems all that may be coming to an end.

Last week's news brought us the Lucasfilm Games brand, a new Ubisoft Star Wars game from the creator of The Division series and, perhaps most excitingly, a teaser trailer for an Indiana Jones game from Bethesda.

As we ponder what it all means, leave your own musings in the comments.

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by James Michael Parry

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@James_Parry

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by Team PTC

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@pass_controller

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Sam

I’m not expecting Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games’ new Star Wars project to be great. Ubisoft basically makes one game on repeat and that doesn’t look set to change. Expect the same tired old formula shoehorned into a recognisable skin, which will no doubt help to shift some extra copies.

Indiana Jones, on the other hand, could be something special. Wolfenstein developer Machine Games is at the helm, plus Todd Howard (Fallout, The Elder Scrolls) is serving as executive producer. Microsoft and Bethesda are bringing out the big guns, giving an underrepresented franchise in gaming the care it deserves.

Unlike Ubisoft’s Star Wars game, it’s hard to predict what direction Indiana Jones will go in. Will it be played from a third or first-person camera perspective? Will it be comparable to Tomb Raider and Uncharted, or place more of a focus on solving puzzles? Will Harrison Ford reprise the role? Will it be an Xbox exclusive? Having all these questions answered will make the road to release an especially interesting one. 
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Lucasfilm Games could have more projects in the oven, too. I can only hope that Howard the Duck is getting some love - comic book characters are big business, after all.

Throw Indy's hat on him and we're pretty much there.

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Liam

I’m slightly more optimistic than Sam when it comes to Ubisoft’s and Lucasfilm Games’ untitled Star Wars project. I’m happy to acknowledge that the former does tend to recycle a familiar set of features in their games, but I don’t find it so much of an issue if I’m enjoying the overall story and gameplay.

The fact that it’s being developed by The Division makers Massive also gives me hope. While I wasn’t a huge fan of bullet-sponge bosses and loot grinding, I did thoroughly enjoy exploring the in-game world and hunting down snippets of surprisingly decent story.

Even if it turns out good rather than great, I still think it’ll be fun to play just because I enjoy Star Wars. EA’s Battlefront reboot took, quite rightly, a bit of flak for lacking content, but that didn’t stop me from having fun using iconic blasters and running around as a Stormtrooper.

As for the Indiana Jones game, we’ll just have to wait and see. I expect we’ll be getting something similar to the Tomb Raider reboot and the Uncharted games, which is no bad thing. Its iconic hero and (hopefully) 1930s setting would certainly give it a unique selling point.

The Division also had a lot of snow. Hoth setting confirmed!

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James

However much you like or loathe The Division, the Snowdrop engine that powers it is a marvel to behold, especially when it comes to snow. A third-person, more Splinter Cell-inspired espionage outing or perhaps one where you explore one of Star Wars' many sprawling locales seems very much in Ubisoft's wheelhouse.

The track record may not be...ahem...stellar...but a bit of lightsaber magic here and a "maclunkey" there could push the experience from a good game to a great game.

Indiana Jones is a different kettle of fish. Comparisons to both Uncharted and Tomb Raider will be difficult to avoid, but we know Machine Games can deliver an action-based narrative, so that's what's got me most excited.

The future of other notable franchises is even more exciting. Surely ideas for a game based on The Mandalorian must already be in development as we speak, and who could resist the chance to be the Galaxy's hottest gunslinger?

Don't know what 'maclunkey' means? This guy gets it.

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What are your thoughts on the newly announced Lucasfilm games? Let us know below.