Visceral Games

Visceral Games

Future Of 'Star Wars' Game Uncertain As EA Shuts Down Visceral Games

The Star Wars game that will never be.

It's a sad day in video game land. A day of crushed dreams, and quite probably lost jobs.

EA announced the closure of developer Visceral Games, the studio behind Dead Space, leaving the future of the Star Wars game the team was working on uncertain.

The studio had attracted major talent from studios like Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games in recent years, with former Uncharted writer Amy Hennig taking on a creative director role on the Star Wars game.

Unfortunately, it looks like EA's vision for that game differed substantially from the people who were actually making the game.

“Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe,” EA executive vice president Patrick Söderlund wrote in a blog post.

“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. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. 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.

What that means isn't entirely certain, but to anyone paying attention to the video game industry in recent years, the answer is clear. EA wanted the game to fit the "games as service" mold, and a linear action-adventure in the vein of Uncharted just won't cut it.

VIA:https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/10/18/ea-is-shutting-down-visceral-games-future-of-star-wars-game-uncertain/#70d4e4b12e4f