As a part of the Geoff Keighley-sponsored, Summer Games Fest, EA announced "Star Wars: Squadrons". The new game is based around 5v5 space-fighter combat pitting the Rebels against the Galactic Empire. EA aims to keep the momentum going with the Star Wars franchise. It's last outing, "Jedi: Fallen Order", surprised gamers with solid combat and exploration. "Jedi" was a much-needed win for EA after "Battlefront 2"'s micro-transactions, causing one of the biggest backlashes in recent gaming history.
Star Wars: Squadrons takes place in the years immediately following Return of the Jedi. According to Keighley, the game will feature a single-player campaign but the bulk of the content is focused on multiplayer. Through the trailer, we saw a number of classic Star Wars ships like the TIE Interceptor and Bomber, while the Rebels flew their expected X-Wings, Y-Wings, and A-Wings. Keighley also confirmed cosmetic items for your starfighter and that they would be unlockable only through gameplay. This is a direct answer to 2017's Star Wars: Battlefront 2, where almost all items were tied to loot boxes.
While there's no evidence of this being a direct sequel to the Rogue Squadron series, it's hard not to have fond memories of Star Wars' last few outings with starfighter games. Also, the game isn't scheduled to come out for next-gen consoles with releases planned for PS4, XB1, and PC. The PC release will support cross-play and come out on Steam and Epic Store as well. EA is hoping to foster even more goodwill with a $39.99 price point and a very hopeful release date of October 2nd.
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