There is a disturbance in the Force. Something is about to happen for the first time in 15 years: Two console/PC games will be releasing in the same year and even by two completely different companies.
This is an exciting time for Star Wars fans. No new Star Wars game has released in over 2 years and yet we’re about to get a pair in 2 months. This is the closest two Star Wars (PC/console) games are releasing together in almost two decades. Both offer completely different takes on the galaxy and at a scale that’s a little bit smaller.
This has allowed the production to be quicker and operate on a lower budget. It harkens back to the early 2000s. Fans have been pressing for more games across a variety of genres and this is the turning point they’ve been looking for. However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. There’s an issue that needs to be addressed.
This Is Getting Out Of Hand, Now There Are Two Of Them
The embargo for Star Wars Zero Company and Galactic Racer single-player previews lifted not only on the same day but just one hour apart.
From what we understand, the Galactic Racer team did not know this was going to happen. This was a surprise to them. It’s unknown if anyone on the Zero Company side knew either. Fuse Games/Secret Mode have absolutely no connection to Bit Reactor/EA so these companies don’t talk with each other. However, there is a third party that sits in the middle of all of them: Lucasfilm Games. More on them later.
For many reasons, a clash of embargoes was a big mistake. It completely buried the second and expanded wave of single player previews for Galactic Racer. This is a game being developed and published by two small independent UK-based companies. They don’t have a marketing juggernaut such as EA (who have had 15 years of working on Star Wars games) behind it.
This is all unfair on both Bit Reactor and Fuse Games. These are two small and independent built by developers that need every bit of support we can give them. The gaming industry is and has been in a dire state. Be it the mass layoffs and consolidation or putting greedy shareholders first, it’s refreshing having these two make Star Wars games. Both titles are shaping up to be celebrated by gamers and hopefully they are successful leading to more projects by these teams in the future.
On top of that, Star Wars fans that are content creators were under significant pressure to deliver for both embargoes. Some of them had to fly thousands of miles in a short time span and due to the previous taking place simultaneously, they were unable to get the fullest picture of these games. Even some press coverage seemed pretty half-hearted.
Different Sides
Naturally some people will say both games are completely different genres and target a totally opposite niche audience so it doesn’t matter. Yes, it’s true that they are totally different but they are still occupying the same Star Wars fan space. The people that are going to pick up the game for the genre aren’t the ones being affected here. It’s those that are Star Wars fans first and foremost that need clear and digestible marketing beats.
Both games have had completely contrasting strategies. Zero Company was announced properly at Celebration last year. What followed was a year of silence. The marketing has really ramped up in the past few weeks as you would expect given the game comes out in a few days. One thing to keep in mind is that EA have been going through a buyout. Staff have been laid off in marketing departments, processes have changed and the takeover cast a shadow. The marketing may have changed for these reasons.
Meanwhile Galactic Racer was only announced (even its existence wasn’t known) in December last year. There has been a steady stream of new footage and information throughout this year and the first hands-on previews at the start of summer. Now more previews have taken place, plenty of interviews and just a general transparency around it.
Pulling The Strings
Going back to the glue between these companies, you’d think Lucasfilm and Disney would be on top of clashing embargoes. They are the ones who have extremely high approval standards. There is plenty of bureaucracy and work that goes into marketing campaigns they are part of.
Surely someone at Lucasfilm raised this situation, right? Even if they did the concern was not heard. That’s a troubling thought going forward. Do departments not communicate with each other well enough? It’s certainly raising a lot more questions about how Star Wars gaming is being handled.
It’s entirely possible that Lucasfilm will learn from this mistake and does not allow it to happen again. At the same time that’s not guaranteed. This could become more of a problem with a great number of Star Wars games in the works as of now.
Previously, EA were the sole publisher of Star Wars games so nothing clashed and if anything they were able to synergise multiple of their projects. They ran a tight ship. Those days are long gone now though.
Lucasfilm has handed out the licence to a lot more developers since the EA exclusivity period began to come to a close. Small, independent developers making an herculean effort to put out a Star Wars game should not have to go through an extra trial against Goliath.
We Can And Should Be Positive
It should be pointed out that it isn’t like Star Wars Galactic Racer is doing absolutely terribly as of a few weeks ago. In fact, it’s doing very well on a number of fronts according to a report. It is beating Zero Company on a number of metrics. This preliminary success on social media doesn’t guarantee huge sales or how Zero Company could swallow a lot of the Star Wars fan mind share with its impending release.
Ultimately, both of these games can live happily together in the same space and not stand on each other’s toes. They haven’t clashed until recently and they are vastly different. Both even have a lower price point compared to most other games these days which will help them too. What’s about to happen in the video game market is something that has never happened before and may never happen again.
Data shows the average console gamer will buy two games a year. A sports game and Call of Duty is the most common combination. New sports games are here, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 is on its way but GTA 6 is coming to disrupt everything. This new title will be the fastest selling game of all time by quite some margin. It’s also more costly than the average game. People are spending $100 on just one game. They will then be carefully picking the next one or two other titles.
We have less money to go around due to rising food and fuel costs, people will be making a difficult decision about what games to pick up for the foreseeable future. The typical Star Wars fan with a gaming system won’t be buying a sports game or Call of Duty but they can get two new Star Wars titles for a price less than other new games. Both games have played a smart move.
Another caveat is that Star Wars Zero Company is of a genre that has a primarily PC-based audience. Those looking to pick up this game with just a PC won’t be playing GTA VI anytime soon. It’s even is $10 cheaper on than console. Bit Reactor might just have found themselves with a game keeping a steady concurrent player count on Steam for years to come.
Star Wars Zero Company will be in your hands on August 27th. Secure your copy here to get a pre-order bonus. Meanwhile Star Wars Galactic Racer launches on October 6th; pre-order now. (Note: using the pre-order link for the game helps support this website by earning us a small amount of commission. Thank you!)
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