With Star Wars progressing refreshingly well in its franchise-wise redemption arc post-Skywalker Saga so far, the video game department seems like it'll see some flourishing in the near future. While The Mandalorian continued its acclaimed run through its second season, and a plethora of other TV series set for Disney+, EA's publishing exclusivity rights are finally coming to a close, allowing other publishers/developers to have a crack at Star Wars.
Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment announced a story-driven, open-world game is in the works and reports strongly suggest that the beloved Knights of the Old Republic is set for a reboot/remake. With the IP freed from EA's shackles, reviving the canceled Star Wars 1313 and revisiting Republic Commando and its canned sequel, Imperial Commando, are more in the cards than ever. Here's why Lucasfilm Games should resuscitate the former, while the latter should come first.
1313: Already Looked Promising In 2012
Then-LucasArts had already revealed Star Wars 1313 back at E3 2012, and it already looked like a promising triple-A game for the time. The demo showed gave a look at a potentially-thrilling action-adventure game with a focus on an original story. It was said at the time that the game would take some influence from Naughty Dog's own acclaimed Uncharted series, which is a top-class cinematic action-adventure style of games.
Also, it would expand on an older game, Star Wars Bounty Hunter, in that it would experiment more with gadget-based combat. Given the Disney acquisition of Star Wars, they stopped production on the game. Reviving those assets and expanding on them with PS5/XSX-level hardware would be more than just a facelift in the event of a reboot.
Imperial Commando: KotOR-like Nostalgia
While it's much older, Republic Commando has a solid amount of built-in nostalgia for Star Wars fans back in the mid-2000s. It came out soon after the aforementioned Knights of the Old Republic games, though it admittedly doesn't have the same impact as those.
That being said, it'll certainly be a good opportunity to cash in on the nostalgia and also bring back another fan-favorite story within the vast Star Wars universe, especially since it's now non-canon due to Disney's acquisition. Though Imperial Commando was canceled, it already has the benefit of Republic Commando already existing, plus getting a re-release this year on PS4 and Switch. This could make it easier to reboot this as a series.
1313: Boba Fett
One of the hooks of the late Star Wars 1313 is that the player character was set to be none other than Boba Fett. At the time, Boba Fett had already been a fan-favorite character in the universe despite hardly being in the movies, and therefore well before the proper attention was given to him in The Mandalorian.
In terms of potential and appearances, it makes sense as getting to play as an anti-hero bounty hunter in sleek-looking armor would at least make for a good game. Essentially, the game would've been a spiritual successor to Bounty Hunter and may have been the first to give Boba the redemption he deserved. It's surely a unique perspective to play a Star Wars game from, and would surely be welcome now.
Imperial Commando: Mainstream Tactical-Shooter
A unique aspect of Republic Commando was how it tackled its genre. Specifically, it didn't just opt for a straight-forward first-person shooter, but rather, a tactical one. Tactical shooters aren't too mainstream outside of competitive circles currently, but a Star Wars game like this and what Imperial Commando could've been would be a great way to make them more so.
The classic Xbox game, while being over 15 years old, had a user-friendly, straightforward control scheme for basic, yet still engaging tactical commands. Building off this on current-gen hardware would put an exciting spin on the modern shooters that typically release year-in, year-out.
1313: Coruscant Criminal Underworld
Along with potentially playing as Boba Fett, the setting being built around him for 1313 was equally tantalizing. The story centered around Fett's early adulthood years in Coruscant, the planet that was home to the former Jedi Order before the Dark Days of the Imperial rule. Specifically, the game's plot would've focused on Coruscant's criminal underworld.
On paper, it certainly seems like a match made in heaven for a Fett-focused game set in between key Skywalker Saga movies. It could've allowed for some engaging gameplay mechanics and an enthralling main questline, all wrapped up in a sci-fi fantasy urban jungle.
Imperial Commando: Flesh Out The Story
While its would-be predecessor proved a successful, entertaining experience, Republic Commando definitely wasn't a long game. The case could definitely be made for being an effectively-concise experience, but fleshing the story out would have been more than welcomed. Delta Squad have been brothers-in-arms (literally and figuratively) all their lives, so more could've been delved into.
This could be done by remaking Republic Commando before reviving its would-be sequel in Imperial, or by just going straight to making the latter. Republic doesn't seem to step on any now-canonical toes--if at all--so the argument could be made for keeping the original story intact as to not waste time in rebooting its sequel.
1313: Capitalize On The Success Of The Mandalorian & The Book Of Boba Fett
As hinted at earlier, these next few years couldn't be better for a 1313 revival. Since Star Wars is trying to kick off a new renaissance in its ongoing redemption arc, this game would do well to coincide with the acclaim of The Mandalorian in addition to the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett spinoff.
Disney+ TV in general is the foreseeable main future of live-action Star Wars, but Din Djarin in The Mandalorian revitalized bounty hunters for the franchise including Boba's inclusion in season two. Meanwhile, The Book of Boba Fett seems set to give him the spotlight that was intended for years now. Depending on what the show covers, 1313 could still very well be viable in canon, story-wise.
Imperial Commando: Address The Cruel Cliffhanger
In terms of story, Republic Commando ended on the cruelest of cliffhangers with Sev going MIA in Kashyyyk while the rest of Delta Squad has to carry on with their next mission. The game ends with Boss, Scorch, and Fixer getting debriefed on their next mission by none other than Grand Master Yoda himself.
It was soul-crushing, and it was clearly done because Imperial Commando was planned, making Imperial Commando's cancelation that much more bitter. The games got novels written, but it's not the same since this story started in the gaming space and deserves to finish out as such.
1313: Ubisoft & Massive Entertainment's Game
While Star Wars escaping the clutches of EA to go to Ubisoft might seem like getting out of a bear trap only to run into another, the fact that the license isn't exclusive to anyone is a positive. Massive Entertainment announced they're working on an open-world story-driven game, and that could be a good blueprint for a 1313 revival given their track record.
This is specifically due to Massive being the developers behind The Division series. They started off bumpy but improved with further development, and the premise and gameplay style could fit 1313 by taking the third-person shooting and open-sandbox elements of The Division and blending it with the verticality that could be provided with Fett's gear in a multilayered Coruscant.
Imperial Commando: Wolfenstein & Doom Influences
A modern Imperial Commando would come at a good time should it hypothetically retain its first-person perspective. While a lot of mainstream shooters typically pay little mind to single-player and focus on the multiplayer components, other successful triple-A first-person shooters made great strides in stories.
The reboot Wolfenstein and Doom series both use that genre/perspective, but put great focus on their story/single-player elements. Their stories are compelling while the gameplay retains its excitingly high-octane action without overstaying their welcome. These would all be great influences for a Star Wars game like a reboot/remake of Republic Commando and a resuscitated Imperial Commando.