Recent successes with smaller-scale Star Wars titles such as Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Star Wars Zero Company have convinced Lucasfilm Games that there is a significant market for diverse game experiences beyond traditional blockbuster releases. Lucasfilm Games Vice President Douglas Reilly stated in an interview with The Game Business that "Good ideas can come from a lot of different places. You don't have to necessarily be a Top Five publisher to make a great Star Wars game."
Galactic Racer, developed by Fuse Games, has garnered considerable attention for its quality and the popularity of its character Biddy Blas. This follows the positive reception of Bit Reactor's XCOM-like strategy game, Star Wars Zero Company. While Zero Company's success did not initially prevent staff furloughs, the studio is reportedly beginning to bring back developers. These projects highlight a clear appetite for Star Wars games that diverge from the typical focus on large-scale franchises like Battlefront or the Jedi series.
Reilly's comments are contextualized by the past decade of Star Wars games, largely shaped by EA's exclusive publishing deal, which prioritized guaranteed successes like live-service shooters and single-player action games. Even Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws, an attempt at a different genre, did not achieve the stellar performance anticipated.
In contrast, Zero Company and Galactic Racer represent more niche genres—strategy/tactics and racing, respectively. Despite their less mainstream appeal, both titles received strong support from Lucasfilm Games and have emerged as some of the most critically acclaimed Star Wars games in recent years. Reilly noted that Lucasfilm Games' objective is to "find the best partner who makes that experience come alive inside the galaxy far, far away," a sentiment that accurately describes the approach taken by both studios.
The development teams behind these games bring relevant experience; Bit Reactor comprises former XCOM developers, while Fuse Games was founded by ex-Criterion staff who had prior experience with Lucasfilm on the original Battlefront series. This background lends weight to Reilly's assertion that while Lucasfilm maintains a high quality bar, often leading to collaborations with experienced teams, "we’re exploring all kinds of things, large and small, with partners that are going to surprise folks."
Looking ahead, the Star Wars gaming landscape will still include titles like Fate of the Old Republic, another Jedi game from Respawn, and the reportedly paused Knights of the Old Republic remake. The recent acquisition of EA by Saudi Arabian and Jared Kushner's investment groups may also suggest a strategic advantage for Lucasfilm in diversifying its game development partnerships.