Electronic Arts is reportedly stopping development of a game based on the Star Wars franchise. Viking was a spin-off of Star Wars: Battlefront. It was set to launch in Fall 2020 with the PS5 and the new Xbox. It is the third Star Wars game in a row that has been canceled during development.
Where does the information come from? The US site Kotaku reports that it spoke with 6 people who have information about EA’s internal matters. However, the individuals remain anonymous because they do not have permission to speak to the press about the canceled projects.
Viking was set to be a Spin-Off of Star Wars Battlefront
Which game is dead? The game was called “Viking” and was a spin-off of Star Wars: Battlefront with open-world elements. It was to be developed by EA Vancouver along with Criterion. They are based in London and are known for racing games.
For EA, it was important that the game arrives by the end of 2020, in time for the Christmas season and the release of next-gen. A Star Wars game for Christmas significantly boosts the financial balance, as EA noted recently with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, which was released on November 15, 2019.
Because it won’t be ready for the PS5 launch, EA pulls the plug
That’s why Viking is dead: EA Vancouver began work on Viking, then Criterion joined and that led to problems, the sources report. Working across continents is logistically difficult. Moreover, “too many cooks spoil the broth,” one source is quoted. So there were clearly conflicts and power struggles.
Viking was originally supposed to be finished by Fall 2020, so EA could have something for the financial year and present a Star Wars game that they could launch with the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
As it became apparent that Viking would come later, EA canceled the project. They had no interest in extending the development time of the game.
Viking had actually died over a year ago, in the first half of 2019.
What are the studios doing now?
- EA Vancouver is said to be supporting other EA studios that are working on Anthem 2.0 or Apex Legends.
- Criterion has taken over the “Need for Speed” series.
3 Star Wars games killed and all sounded good
Which other games are dead? Ragtag already died in 2017 with the studio Visceral Games. It was supposed to be a kind of “Uncharted” in the Star Wars universe. Amy Hennig was to develop it.
It was planned that Ragtag would be replaced by a new Star Wars project: Orca was meant to be an open-world game developed by EA Vancouver. Players were supposed to travel between various worlds as a bounty hunter or rogue. But the game was canceled early on.
Ironically, the work on Orca was ended so that EA Vancouver could work on Viking, which is now also canceled. Thus, EA will apparently have a gap in the financial plan.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is in development
What 2 Star Wars games is EA still developing? According to Kotaku, EA is working on a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which is again being developed by Respawn. Additionally, a second, more unusual project is set to be developed in Montreal, Canada.
Jedi Fallen Order was a hit for EA in 2019.
EA has held exclusive rights to Star Wars games since 2013.
Anyone looking for more Star Wars as an online player can check out the MMORPG “Star Wars: The Old Republic” or play the now significantly improved Star Wars Battlefront 2.
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