While the introduction of Lucasfilm Games is a great sign for Star Wars games moving forward, it does present a potential problem for the series' canon. While that might not be a big deal to some people, it's always important that an established universe abides by its own rules and remains true to itself, which is why maintaining canon is important.
Earlier this week, Lucasfilm announced a rebrand of the company's gaming section. The newly-anointed Lucasfilm Games seeks to usher in a new era of gaming for the franchises owned by the company, with Star Wars being the most prominent. The first thing many people thought of, naturally, was how this relates to Disney's current agreement with Electronic Arts' exclusive rights to making Star Wars games. And it didn't take very long for fans to get an answer, because on Wednesday it was announced that Lucasfilm Games would be partnering with Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment to create an open world Star Wars game with a narrative focus.
With the news that Star Wars games are now going to be developed by more companies than just EA, Lucasfilm Games presents a potential problem as it relates to Star Wars canon. Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the company has taken the consistency of the franchise's canon very seriously, going so far as to form the Lucasfilm Story Group to ensure that new stories remained consistent within the established universe. The old Star Wars Expanded Universe was littered with inconsistencies and there was a clear focus on avoiding that with the new canon under Disney. But as more people get their hands into the Star Wars universe, it increases the chances that the canon could become exposed to contradictions or out of place ideas.
Lucasfilm Games Should Give Developers Freedom With Star Wars Canon
While Lucasfilm should continue to work towards maintaining consistent storylines within the Star Wars universe, they should also step back and allow developers to create their own stories. While The Mandalorian and other Star Wars series are thriving on crossovers, everything in the franchise doesn't have to intersect with each other. Star Wars is a massive world with unlimited possibilities and it would be great to see an influx of new ideas and standalone stories. With the recent beginning of the High Republic era, there is more than enough room to allow developers to bring a Star Wars story to life without having to directly connect it to the movies or any other established characters.
At the end of the day, this is a terrific indication of the future of Star Wars games. EA's agreement with Disney to exclusively develop Star Wars games was a complete failure and it's beyond time for new developers to get a chance with one of the world's most prominent franchises. Star Wars games haven't been nearly as good as they can be in recent years and there is a ton of untapped potential. While Lucasfilm Games should continue to take Star Wars canon seriously, it's also important to allow developers to bring their visions to life in order to maximize the potential of games in this universe.