Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars captured the hearts of millions of people. However, dark times have come for fans - films and TV series are no longer enjoyable, and very few good games based on the franchise have been released in recent years. Will an analogue of XCOM be able to restore the balance of power, or will it turn out to be another zilch from veterans? Let's find out.
The 12-episode second season of Andor is eagerly awaiting its launch on Disney+ in April, and the show's creators are already actively sharing their thoughts in interviews. Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy talked with SFX Magazine about the impressive genre diversity of George Lucas's space saga, which under Kathleen Kennedy's leadership is expanding remarkably with new series.
Gilroy believes that Andor, with its bent towards gritty realism, which began in Rogue One, not only inspires the expansion of the stylistic boundaries of the Star Wars universe, but also serves as a shining example for the creators of future films and TV series of the saga, opening up new possibilities for creativity.
“I always dreamed that our show would open new horizons, and that someone would someday be able to make a three-camera sitcom in the Star Wars universe or a horror film. I think the first thing I asked Katie [Kennedy] when she said she was breaking new ground was, “Could you do a courtroom drama?” Why not? We worked so hard on Andor to pave the way for ourselves, so now let others find their own way to do it.”
The first three episodes of Andor's second season will be available on Disney+ starting April 22. The streamer will show three episodes of the season per week until May 13.
At the GDC 2025 conference, Ubisoft Paris game designer Jean-Baptiste Sirodin revealed details of the creation "Kessel Sabacc" - an updated version of the gambling game from the Star Wars universe, which became a key mini-game in Star Wars Outlaws.
Sabacc is an analogue of poker for space adventurers, allowing players to immerse themselves in an underground world where they can earn credits and reputation. In Outlaws, the developers introduced a new version - “Kessel Sabacc”, which combines the simplicity of blackjack, elements of craps games (like 421 and Yahtzee) and tactical solutions.
“We didn't have to start from scratch—the game already had a legacy. She appeared in various media, and there was also “Pazaak” in Knights of the Old Republic, which is somewhat similar,” the designer explained. There were also references in the film “Han Solo.”
At the same time, we could not do without our own ideas. Prototypes were tested at a regular table with cards - this sped up development. The final rules include "shift tokens" - action cards that spice up gameplay.
The mini-game is integrated into the world of Outlaws through “diegetic storytelling” - without a separate screen. The game's heroine Kay and her companion Nyx play at a table with NPCs, and players can bluff, cheat, or take a chance by sending Nyx to spy on their opponents' cards.
Despite the 3D visuals, Sabacc is technically a 2D game - all gameplay runs in the UI layer for clarity and speed.
Note that after the release of Outlaws, fans appreciated the atmosphere of the mini-game, and some even recreated it in real life.
“The difficulties paid off when we saw the enthusiasm of the players,” said Shiroden.
Lucasfilm confirmed in March that Respawn and Bit Reactor would unveil their Star Wars turn-based tactics game on April 19 at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Japan.
Now the MP1st website has come across a portfolio of one of the Bit Reactor artists with concepts that supposedly date back to mid-2023, but in fact could have been made much earlier. In any case, they only give a general idea of what kind of project the studios are working on.
Apparently, the team is making an analogue of XCOM, which is natural: veterans of the series work in the Bit Reactor studio.
Disney has released the final trailer for the second season of Andor, a prequel to Rogue One that follows a heroic group of rebels who steal plans for the Empire's weapons of mass destruction.
The new video finally gives an in-depth look at the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance and, in fact, perfectly prepares us for the depiction of the Gorman Massacre - the horrific event of the Dark Times, when the Empire attacked and killed peaceful protesters. In fact, this event will be key for Mon Montma (Genevieve O'Reilly), who will ultimately publicly condemn Emperor Palpatine and his regime.
“Interestingly, Gorman is canonical, but not described at all. It's a blank slate. There's also some confusion about the massacre and what it is,” Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy said in a recent interview. “We had a chance to recreate this really important moment.”
The trailer predictably shows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Luten Rayle (Stellan Skashgård) and Saw Herrera (Forest Whitaker) giving emotional speeches about the importance of the rebel mission. Also featured are newcomers Ben Mendelsohn and Alan Tudyk, who reprise their roles as Imperial officer Orson Krennic and reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO from Rebel One.
The second season of Andor will consist of 12 episodes, divided into four chapters of three episodes each, with the first debuting April 22 on Disney+.
The upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu received the lowest budget of any Disney-led Star Wars film, coming in at just over $160, according to the California Film Commission (via Collider million
Modern technologies from the visual effects studio ILM and filming in California helped reduce the cost of production - the state provided the team with a tax credit in the amount of $21.75 million. Quite unusual for Disney, which tries to independently control costs and usually spares no expense even on failed television shows.
Saber Interactive CFO Tim Willits assured that the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still in development. The information appeared on the social networks of the head of the company.
In X, Willits reported that Saber has not abandoned any of the announced projects. However, he did not provide any additional information. Separately, the head of the company, Matthew Karsh, in an interview with Game File, said that a remake of KOTOR is in development, but also refused to provide any details.
A remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was announced in September 2021. Initially, it was handled by Aspyr Media studio, specializing in ports for mobile devices. Embracer management, as well as Lucasfilm and Sony Interactive Entertainment, were dissatisfied with the state of the project. In 2022, it was reported that development would take at least another two years, but since then there has been no official information about the game.
