With Sony working with Aspyr Media on the PS5-exclusive Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake, it was only natural for Microsoft to fire back with their own exclusive. As it turns out, it's actually happening.
According to the prominent leaker, Nick Baker, Microsoft is already putting Zenimax Online Studios to work on its first MMORPG since the acquisition. As per another source, Skullzi, the new MMO is an Xbox exclusive. However, absent an actual confirmation, we'll have to wait and see if the upcoming project is indeed exclusive to Microsoft's current-gen consoles or not. But, if it is, then it's big news.
Ok, so liiiiittle bit of a whoopsie. Yeah, there's going to be a Mando game. But um...that's apparently not a Mando Funko. I might have just said something I wasn't supposed to yet. Hoping I didn't just burn my source. Got some apologising to do.
— Nick (@Shpeshal_Nick) April 29, 2021
After Electronic Arts lost its exclusive rights to Star Wars video games, several studios have stepped up to announce their own titles based on the space opera franchise from a galaxy far, far away.
If Microsoft is stepping in, with an MMO at that, then expectations are fairly high. Zenimax Online Studios has worked on and maintained The Elder Scrolls Online since 2014. With The Elder Scrolls VI expected to come out in 2024, Microsoft might already have the studios' next game in mind, and an MMO based on the hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, is far from the worst idea.
Hopefully, this doesn't go the way of Star Wars 1313. The aforementioned game was hyped as LucasArts' next big thing, taking notes from action-adventure games like Uncharted and featuring the popular bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Unfortunately, Disney canceled the project following its acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 and the subsequent closure of LucasArts.
Given this report, it's safe to say that the legacy of the abandoned game will live on.
Speaking of Star Wars, the gaming end of the decades-spanning space opera franchise is in good hands. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga came out earlier this month, much to the delight of fans and critics alike. Also, in an ironic twist of things, someone from Uncharted will be working on a Star Wars game. Amy Hennig, the creator of Uncharted, is now leading a team working on a Star Wars title.
On the streaming side of things, Star Wars fans can look forward to Ewan McGregor coming back as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the self-titled limited series on Disney+ on May 27.
