Star Wars Zero Company Maintains a Tradition Future Games Should Challenge

Okay, let’s dive into this wild galaxy far, far away — or maybe not so far, who really knows? Kinda feels like they’re always churning out something, right? So, just before 2025’s uber-hyped Star Wars Celebration in Japan (which, fun fact, I almost forgot about!), EA and Respawn decided to surprise us. Bam! Enter Star Wars Zero Company. Picture this: you’re back smack in the middle of the Clone Wars, but, plot twist, it’s a turn-based tactics game. Think Gears Tactics or XCOM but with lightsabers. Sounds cool? Eh, maybe.

So some fans are pumped to dive right back into Clone Wars territory with a fresh lineup of characters. But, here’s the kicker — others, let’s call them the “OG purists,” want Lucasfilm Games to go back to making those iconic, story-driven games like the golden days of LucasArts. I mean, what’s stopping them, right? Maybe just sprinkle in some parallel adventures with the movie plots. Or don’t. It’s whatever.

Anyway, speaking of time — oh wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012 and — zap! — LucasArts got the boot in 2013. Suddenly, EA held the Star Wars gaming universe in a stranglehold for years. Which, to be honest, led to some heartbreak with the cancellation of fan-favorite projects. Remember Old Republic expansions? Good times. Then EA revs up their engines with new Disney-era titles, starting with Battlefront in 2015. A reboot, sure, but sans a campaign and only focused on the original trilogy era. Go figure.

Now, if you were around then, you’d see a trend: lots of multiplayer stuff. Games like Galaxy of Heroes, Hunters, and Uprising hit the scene. Big on action, light on lore. But hey, some gems with solid single-player vibes popped up, much like those LucasArts masterpieces. We got Battlefront 2 in 2017, Jedi: Fallen Order, and a slew of others tugging on those nostalgic heartstrings. Especially Jedi: Fallen Order, man, Cal was… — oh wait, sidetracked.

And while we’re riding the nostalgia train — LucasArts was kind of the king of parallel storylines in its heyday. Remember Shadows of the Empire having Dash Rendar battle at Hoth while Luke was on his merry Jedi way? Or Republic Commando letting us play commandos during Attack of the Clones? Jeez, I miss those narrative tie-ins.

Fast-forward a bit, and while a couple of Lego games echoed the movies, the bulk of Disney-era titles explored uncharted timelines. Fans loved it, expanding character lore beyond the movies, but nothing beats witnessing those epic movie scenes yourself.

Fast forward to now: Disney’s whipped up five new Star Wars flicks, with number six, The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for 2026. They’ve got a blank canvas with 12 live-action films to pull from for new game ideas. Imagine a game about a First Order Stormtrooper’s crisis of conscience, or better yet, one starring Tava Ren from the sequels. Mix those stories with new tales like Zero Company, and maybe — just maybe — they’ll strike gold. Or just keep us spinning in circles. Depends on who you ask.

And that’s my two cents, but who’s counting?