Release: Late 2013
“Dark and mature” may not be the go-to description for Star Wars, particularly since LucasArts’ acquisition by the House of Mouse, but such is the promise for this third person actioner. Set in the bowels of Coruscant, the subterranean Level 1313, you take on the role of a bounty hunter embroiled in a murky criminal conspiracy. Early glimpses suggest the game will ignore lightsabers and force powers in favour of gadgetry and guns, and the claims are for a more grounded and gritty fiction, instead of the fruity pangalactic melodrama to which we are accustomed.
Star Wars 1313 is a third-person action-adventure video game that was being developed and published by LucasArts,[3] but was subsequently cancelled. The game would take a more mature, gritty direction compared to past Star Wars video games and emphasize fast-paced, gadget and weapon-based combat using tools exclusive to bounty hunters rather than Force and lightsaber-based combat.[4][5][6]
On April 3, 2013, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company had ceased internal development of all projects at LucasArts, including Star Wars 1313. Company representatives have indicated that the game may be revived through a licensing deal with an outside studio, but until then Star Wars 1313 remains cancelled.[7]
Development
While being developed in-house by LucasArts, the game was undergoing an integrated development approach that involved Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation andSkywalker Sound.[3] The game's title was trademarked in May 2012,[8] and the game was announced later that month by LucasArts. The game was officially revealed at E3 2012 the following month.[9] Spike TV broadcast a sneak peek on June 4 showing exclusive gameplay footage.
It was being developed on top of Unreal Engine 3, as shown in the latest Developer Diary called "Descent to the Underworld".[10] The diary video shows the game running in 64-bit mode with the Direct3D 11 rendering path.
On March 1, 2013, it was reported that the game had been "on hold" ever since The Walt Disney Company's purchase of Lucasfilm, stating that Disney will focus mostly on Star Wars film-related projects. However, a LucasArts representative reported that "Star Wars 1313 was continuing production".[11]
On April 3, 2013, it was announced that The Walt Disney Company had ceased internal development at LucasArts, laid off its staff with the exception of a skeleton crew of less than 10 employees which would allow LucasArts to remain open as a licensor.[12] As a result, all projects were shut down, including Star Wars 1313. A Lucasfilm representative stated: "After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company's risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organization."[7] It is possible that Star Wars 1313 may resume development by an external developer, but until that happens Star Wars 1313 remains cancelled.[13] Following the halting of internal development at LucasArts, Disney announced an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to produce Star Wars games for the core gaming market. However, Disney Interactive Studios retained the ability to develop, and LucasArts retained the ability to license, the franchise for the casual gaming market.[14] When asked whether Electronic Arts would continue Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, a representative for the company stated, "We are not announcing any specific titles at this time.
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