10 Most Anticipated Cancelled Star Wars Games

Star Wars has had a close relationship with gaming since Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope was released in 1980. Over the years, we've been treated to countless video games from LucasFilm that aren't only great Star Wars games, but genre staples that transcend the IP, introducing new fans to the series.

Unfortunately, not every game gets to land in the hands of gamers across the world, with several being canceled late into development or never securing the funding to move beyond the concept stage. Thankfully, the developers of these titles haven't been shy about sharing their plans for these abandoned games, with some even sharing test footage to demonstrate what could have been.

While we're still getting plenty of great Star Wars games in recent years, and even more promising titles on the horizon, we're looking back at some of the most exciting projects that were unfortunately canceled.

10 Star Wars 1313

Uncharted Meets Star Wars

After Disney acquired Star Wars in 2012, several games in all stages of development were canceled, even if they had shown trailers. One of the most notorious victims of this was Star Wars 1313, which was already pretty far into its development cycle and had shown a gameplay trailer at 2012's E3 event.

This game would see players take on the role of a young Boba Fett, as they try to survive the seedy underworld of Coruscant, descending deep into one of its lowest spaces, Level 1313.

The trailer would also feature some spectacular gameplay sequences, which were very reminiscent of Naughty Dog's Uncharted series. It was also promised that this game would be one of the darkest entries for a Star Wars game yet, which makes its cancellation all the more upsetting.

9 Unannounced Respawn FPS

A Star Wars Shooter by the Developers of Titanfall

In 2022, Titanfall and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order studio Respawn Entertainment confirmed that it was working on a new FPS game set in the Star Wars universe. With how beloved Titanfall was among fans of the genre, fans were rightly hyped to see what the studio could cook up with the IP, especially after their stellar showing with the recent Cal Kestis series.

Rumors were also floating that the project was a game based on The Mandalorian; however, those claims remain unsubstantiated. As far as we know, the only details to truly come out were that the game was inspired by Star Wars: Dark Forces, which would also heavily influence season 2 of The Mandalorian. Whether this means the game was intended to be a pseudo tie-in for the events of the series is unknown, but it's a shame we never got to play it.

The project would quietly be canceled in 2024 following a series of job cuts at EA, making Respawn pivot to continuing development on a third Jedi game.

8 Star Wars Battlefront 3

A Follow-Up to the Greatest Star Wars Game of All Time

Star Wars Battlefront 3 will forever be the one that got away for Star Wars fans. Its predecessor, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, is one of the most acclaimed video games of all time, and its sequel was shaping up to be a worthy follow-up which had the potential of overtaking it.

Steve Elliss, the studio co-founder of the developers Free Radical, claimed that the game was 99 per cent complete, and was just in the stage of working through some bug fixes before it would ultimately get canceled right at the finish line. While this number would be disputed later by other studio members and Eliss himself, he still stands by his assertion that the game was nearly finished. Regardless, the game's campaign would be leaked online later, and would have followed two brothers in the Clone Army who would eventually turn against each other after Order 66.

The multiplayer was also shaping up to be extremely ambitious, letting players transition from ground to space combat. While EA's future Battlefront series eventually took off (after some troublesome missteps), fans are still pining over what could have been if Free Radical were allowed to release their potential magnum opus.

7 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3

An End to Starkiller's Journey

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's first entry is a beloved game for fans of the series (wild powerscaling conversations aside). Not only was it the game that introduced Sam Witwer to the Star Wars franchise, but it also showcased the brutality of lightsaber combat, letting players slice limbs off of poor Stormtroopers.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 3 would have picked up after The Force Unleashed 2's light side ending, with Starkiller transporting Darth Vader to Dantooine on behalf of the Rebels. However, their transport vessel would be shot down by Boba Fett at the request of the Empire, causing you to crash-land on an unknown planet. To survive the wilds, you and Vader would need to team up to survive in a co-op campaign setting.

Unfortunately, the game never started development as the series creator, Haden Blackman, was planning to leave LucasArts to form his own studio, Hanger 13. Any plans to continue development on a third game without Blackman would never come to fruition, as LucasArts would be shut down by Disney shortly after acquiring the franchise.

6 Star Wars Episode VII: Shadows of the Sith

The Battle of the OCs

Before what would eventually become The Force Awakens, another Star Wars: Episode VII would be pitched by Blackman and his team at LucasArts, which would sit alongside the canon book series being released.

The idea for the game was conceptualized in 2004, just a year before Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith was released, and would have had Luke Skywalker's son, Ben, as the protagonist. In the game, you would hunt down Jacen Solo, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, who had recently turned to the dark side after killing Ben's mom, Mara Jade. Throughout the game, Ben would also learn new force abilities never seen before in the series.

I can only imagine how beloved this game would have been for Legends fans, but unfortunately, the game didn't move beyond the concept stage. However, some of these ideas would eventually be repurposed for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which might be why we see Starkiller pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky.

5 ​Star Wars: Battle of the Sith Lords

A Gritty Action Game Starring Darth Maul

Darth Maul is one of Star Wars' most beloved characters, in part, due to how cool he looks. Which is why the prospect of a game following Darth Maul's roots and promising not to hold back in depicting the Sith Lord's ferocity is tantalizing.

In the early 2010s, Red Fly Studio would approach LucasArts about their idea for the project, where they would be given mostly free rein on his early story. Reportedly, the game would also feature a more morally conflicted Darth Maul, who would eventually have to lean on the dark side to survive his deadly upbringing.

Much like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, this game would not hold back on its violence and would depict the Sith Lord chopping off heads and limbs. Some time into development, George Lucas and Dave Filoni would clue the studio in on their plans to resurrect the Sith Lord in the Clone Wars animated series, prompting the studio to consider making this project into a trilogy.

Sadly, the game would be killed off as part of Disney's acquisition of Star Wars, leaving us with some test footage to imagine what could have been. While the studio had tried to pitch the game once again in 2015, Disney and EA (who had sole publishing rights of Star Wars games at the time) weren't interested.

4 Project Ragtag

Visceral Games' Take on a Star Wars Heist

I won't lie to you, this one hurts the most. Project Ragtag was the code name for a Star Wars game being made by Dead Space developers Visceral Games, and helmed by Uncharted creator Amy Hennig. The game was set to take place after the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and would see players join a group of scoundrels attempting to pull off a major heist.

Unfortunately, would face a troublesome development cycle. Several former employees at Visceral Games would go on to say that Hennig's vision for the game was "lofty". There was also plenty of back and forth between Disney and Lucasfilm, stalling production of the game, which would also be extended by Hennig's desire to oversee all aspects of the game.

Eventually, EA would cancel Project Ragtag due to a lack of recognizable characters or Jedi Force powers and shift developers onto Star Wars Battlefront 2 before closing Visceral Games. After seeing Star Wars Outlaws release years later with almost the same premise, it really rubs salt in the wounds that we never got to see a Star Wars game with Hennig's vision.

3 Star Wars: Imperial Commando

A Sequel to Republic Commando

Star Wars: Republic Commando is not only the best Star Wars FPS to have ever been released, but it's also a standout squad-based shooter in a genre that doesn't get a lot of love.

After the breakout success of the Clone-focused title, the developers had apparently pitched a sequel that would see players join the Empire. Like Republic Commando, you'd lead a squad of Imperial Commandos, which would presumably feature characters from the beloved Delta Squad. Players would also fight against Wookies and lightsaber-wielding foes, but unfortunately, it didn't advance much farther than that.

A second concept, known as Rebel Commando, would see Sev join the Rebel Alliance after the Battle of Kashyyyk, confirming his fate after it was left ambiguous in the game. Unfortunately, due to Republic Commando's low sales, neither of these projects came to fruition.

2 Star Wars: First Assault

Call of Duty Meets Star Wars

Joining an ever-expanding number of canceled Star Wars FPS games is Star Wars: First Assault, which was promising to be a gritty, Call of Duty-inspired experience set in the Star Wars universe. Intended to be an Xbox Live Arcade game, the game was tragically canceled mere hours before officially being announced, with a beta release shortly after. In fact, its cancellation was so close to the wire that it even accidentally showed up on the Xbox Live Marketplace for a brief moment.

Based on gameplay footage, which would be shared online years later, one map would feature a detailed rendition of Mos Eisley, with several buildings and courtyards where players could shoot at each other. What makes the cancellation hurt even more is that if the game had performed well, it would have been used as a case study to invest in a "Version Two" of Star Wars: Battlefront 3. But alas, these plans didn't come to fruition due to Disney's acquisition of the IP.

1 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

Closing the Chapter on Revan's Story

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series may just be the most beloved duology among Star Wars fans. Which is why it's devastating we never got a legitimate sequel to the plot lines set up in the games. While we did get some form of a sequel with BioWare's MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's a continuation that splits the fandom due to how beloved characters were handled.

In 2016, KOTOR 2 lead writer Chris Avellone would reveal in an interview with RPG Codex about a potential third game, which would see players following Revan into the Unknown Regions to face off against the ancient Sith Lords.

"The third game involved you, as a player character, following where Revan went and then taking the battle to the really ancient Sith Lords, who are far more terrifying than the Darths that show up. These guys would just be monsters. These would have a level of power that was considerable, but at the same time, you'd be able to dig more into their psychologies," Avellone would explain.

"So he places you travel to, [you'd see] how they left their stamp on that world, or that solar system, or whatever collection of moons. You'd see how horrible that was. Part of that environment would tell a story about that. [That] would be a great, epic way to end the trilogy. The Old Republic are out there. We just didn't get a chance to do it."

Now, I can see where aspects of Avellone's pitch would turn off some higher-ups at LucasArts, as it may have broken some of the continuity regarding the Force. In saying that, I truly believe the team could have found ways to rein in that pitch and find ways to make it fit within the Star Wars world. Besides, who could argue against depicting ancient evil Sith as terrifying Eldritch beings?

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