We know nowStar Wars Episode VIIasThe Force Awakens— but several years earlier, the seventh instalment of the saga was being developed as a standalone video game.
Last year saw the record-breaking release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, which wasaccompanied by EA’sStar Wars Battlefrontreboot. However, several years earlier, there were conversations going on at LucasArts that might have seen a very differentEpisode VIIunleashed upon fans of the series.
At this point in time, it was widely expected that the prequel trilogy would be the last major cinematic releases in theStar Warssaga. As such, LucasArts was reportedly experimenting with a range of ideas for a new game that wasn’t a straight adaptation of an existing story.
As well as concepts that would cast the player asmemorable characters like Darth Maul, Han Solo and Darth Vader, the LucasArts team began to work on a particularly ambitious idea. If Lucas wasn’t going to makeEpisode VIIhimself, the studio would create a video game that would fill that same niche.
The game would have been titledStar Wars: Shadows of the Sith, and was apparently being discussed even before the theatrical release of 2005’sRevenge of the Sith, according to a report fromCinelinx. The site spoke to former LucasArts creative director Haden Blackman for some details on the proposed plot.
Shadows of the Sithwould have featured an adult Ben Skywalker as its protagonist — as established in books released as part of theStar Warsexpanded universe, he was the son of Luke Skywalker and his wife Mara Jade. Of course, this contentwas since rendered non-canonwhen Disney purchased rights to the franchise.
Skywalker would reportedly use Force powers ‘never-before-seen in games or movies’ as he toed the line between light and dark. It’s likely that these elements of the game were later re-used in projects likeThe Force Unleashedand its sequel.
There was another element ofShadows of the Siththat’s since been implemented successfully — but it’s something of a spoiler forThe Force Awakens, for those few that still hasn’t seen it. The game’s main villain would have been the child of Han Solo and Leia Organa.
Of course,The Force Awakenshas now renderedShadows of the Sithuntenable, so don’t expect to see this project resurrected any time soon. However, it seems likely that there’s amajor newStar Warsvideo game on the horizon— and we should hear more news about that title soon.
