Star Warsis no stranger to the video game medium, with installments over the years tackling nearly every conceivable genre and style.Star Wars: Squadronsdelivered intense space combat, whileStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordertold a captivating action RPG set after after the events of the Prequel trilogy. Although fantastic efforts, these were of course released in the past two years, in what appears to be a renaissance forStar Warsgames. Just a few years earlier,Star Warsvideo games were experiencing a dark period, with a drought of new releases, cancellations, and questionable business decisions inStar Wars Battlefront 2.
At E3 2012,Star Wars: 1313was briefly teased, promising a more mature tale set in theStar Warsuniverse, but was unfortunately cancelled a year afterwards. After Disney acquired theStar Warsbrand, it shut down all production duties at LucasArts to hand over responsibility to EA. Although hugely disappointing for fans of a galaxy far, far away, it wasn’t public knowledge at this point that Disney/EA has plans of its own to deliver a similarly mature story in this universe. With a great list of talent behind the project, it seemed like the force was strong in this one but as anyStar Warsfan knows, the force can often be greatly disturbed.
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A Long Time Ago… In The Year 2013
As stated above, this newStar Warsadventure began development in 2013,not long afterStar Wars: 1313had been cancelled. Production on the game was being handled by Visceral Games, widely known at that point for its work on theDead Spacefranchise. Considering that title’s heavy science fiction inspirations, the team seemed like an excellent choice to handle a game in the world ofStar Wars. Similar to the tonal and and narrative approach thatStar Wars: 1313would have taken, Project Ragtag (a placeholder title), was going to make a conscious effort to do away with lightsabers and space ships and focus on the more nitty gritty side of this fictional universe.
Project Ragtag was going to focus on the military side of the largerStar Warsstory, very similar to thethemes explored inRogue One: A Star Wars Story. The main character was described by developers as very similar to the classic Robin Hood, a rag tag rebel taking a stand against the Galactic Empire. Action would be controlled from a third person perspective, with high production values and a grandiose cinematic feel many would expect from theStar Warsfranchise. Project Ragtag was additionally telling a unique heist storyline, a genre not yet depicted for the series, and many years before the thieving exploits seen inSolo: A Star Wars Story.
With all these pieces falling into place, and a talented game developer in charge, Project Ragtag was shaping up behind the scenes into something very special. All that was left was to find the right individual to take the helm of such an ambitious project. The stars were most certainly aligned for this game at the time, asAmy Hennig took directorial dutiesof the game as the process continued to move along at a steady pace.
Uncharted Territory for Star Wars
For those unaware, Amy Hennig is one of the most celebrated creative minds in the video game medium. Her efforts have spanned across a nearly three decade long career in the industry, playing a key role in the creation of both theUnchartedandLegacy of Kain: Soul Reaverfranchises. Her penchant for delivering quality games clearly inspired by blockbuster cinema is a match made in heaven withStar Wars.Couple this with the many heist themed adventures of Nathan Drake being familiar to the story that was to be explored with Project Ragtag and Amy was undoubtedly the best person for the job.
First revealed in 2017, only a brief teaser of the game was shown off to the public. A lone man, walks out into a desert town (presumably Tatooine or Jakku) as the camera pans upwards, revealing a legion of Imperial fighters and starships in the sky above. Even with this small snippet of footage, anticipation quickly mounted for the game. Utilizing the Frostbite engine, Project Ragtag was aiming to deliver an authenticStar Warsexperience, and considering Hennig’s experience with some ofUncharted’s most dazzling set pieces, the game was sure to be a thrill ride from beginning to end.
Execute Order Visceral Games
Even with all of these promising elements, Project Ragtag began experiencing production difficulties long before EA every intervened with the game. Visceral Games, although a seasoned and talented developer, was struggling to keep things under control as the game slowly began to fall apart from the inside. Many members of the team even began to depart the project during this process, leaving Project Ragtag in favor of joiningCrystal Dynamic’sMarvel’s Avengers.
This wasn’t long after Visceral had completed work onBattlefield: Hardline, with a huge internal overhaul inside in the company and having to simultaneously rework a game engine meant for first person games. Even with all of these hurdles, Visceral still pushed through and had reportedly managed to complete a good portion of the game. But even with these continued efforts,EA’s business plangoing forward sadly didn’t include this promising project.
The action adventure style was felt to be far too similar toUnchartedby EA leaders, not fitting in with its bigger plans forStar Warsas a whole. Visceral argued to have a chance to show off more to the public but this did not sway EA, as Project Ragtag and by extension, Visceral Games, were completely shut down. It’s a tragedy that such an esteemed developer was to die out as it did, but hopefully the concepts planned for Project Ragtag inspire afutureStar Warsgame.
