Work on the next supposedly ‘grown up’ Star Wars title, Star Wars 1313, has been put on hold by LucasArts. One can only assume that the recent acquisition of the franchise by Disney may have something to with this.
According to a report from Kotaku the title, which turned heads at last June’s E3, has been put in a perma-holding pattern by Disney. The small amount of footage that was on display last June had gamers and critics talking about a more mature and darker look at the Star Wars universe. It was a welcome change from the tenor of recent Star Wars titles.
Rumors have the game put on the back burner to utilize resources for the recently announced, JJ Abrams helmed Star Wars: Episode VII. Disney’s purchase of LucasFilm (which includes LucasArts) has restructured the company’s gaming division, which apparently means that we are more in the dark now about 1313 than we were before. The game was teased as a next-gen title that was going to explore the criminal elements in the Star Wars universe. Terrorism, drug cartels, and prostitution were all going to be touched on in what fans hoped was going to be the next LucasArts title.
It was originally reported that 1313 was going to be an open-world role-playing game in the spirit of BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic. Obviously, fans of the classic BioWare title were immediately aflutter at the idea of another open-world game. A LucasArts spokesperson offered up the following when asked about development of the 1313.
“LucasArts has been working diligently to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that the new Star Wars movies present.”
Looks like 1313 is not something that fans will be seeing anytime soon. Tragic.
