Star Wars Eclipse is an upcoming narrative-driven action-adventure game from Quantic Dream.
The title is still in the early stages of development, but we know that the game will focus on an ensemble of characters and will be set in the High Republic era of the Star Wars setting. If Eclipse is anything like Quantic's previous title, Detroit: Become Human, we'll be in for a compelling, multi-faceted story full of moral ambiguity and difficult player choices.
We've not had much in the way of official information regarding Star Wars Eclipse recently, though after rumors of an internal delay, it's unlikely we'll be seeing much anytime soon either. While we wait, here's what's been revealed on the game so far.
Star Wars: Eclipse: cut to the chase
- What is it? A narrative-driven action-adventure set in the Star Wars universe
- When can I play it? TBC, but likely not for a while
- What can I play it on? TBC
Star Wars Eclipse release date and platforms
Unfortunately, Quantic Dream seems a little too early in the development of Star Wars Eclipse to provide a solid release date. If development is still in its primary stages, we reckon we're probably not going to see Star Wars: Eclipse on store shelves for a long while.
Shortly after the game’s announcement, industry insider Tom Henderson, tweeted to say that he expects the game is, at minimum, around 3 to 4 years away. In March 2022, however, he went on to report that an internal delay might have taken place and that we could be looking at a 2027 - 2028 release window.
Speaking to GamesRadar about delay rumors, Quantic Dream said, "Star Wars Eclipse has not been delayed because Quantic Dream never announced or promised a launch window for the title." Without a publicly announced release window or date given by Quantic Dream, it's difficult to know if Star Wars Eclipse has been delayed internally, or when we'll get our hands on it. A few years seems like a safe bet.
Platforms haven't been confirmed yet, either, but we expect Star Wars Eclipse to land on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC at the very least. Given how far off this is, there's practically no chance it'll come to last-gen consoles like PS4 and Xbox One.
Star Wars Eclipse trailers
After rumors of its existence, Quantic Dream finally broke its silence on its Star Wars game with an impressive CGI trailer debuting at The Game Awards 2021. While we still can't speak of the game Star Wars Eclipse will eventually shape up to be, it looks like we'll be meeting and (playing as) a varied roster of characters.
The trailer features everything you might expect from Star Wars, including space battles, sinister-looking soldiers, and a gorgeous sci-fi cityscape that looks a lot like Courascant, the Republic's capital.
Though there have yet to be any further trailers for Star Wars Eclipse. If you want to keep your fingers on the pulse of what Quantic Dream are up to, though, we recommend keeping an eye on their YouTube channel.
Star Wars Eclipse story and setting
Star Wars Eclipse is to be the first game "set in an uncharted region of the Outer Rim during The High Republic era, known as the golden age of the Jedi," Quantic Dream's press release notes. The High Republic era takes place hundreds of years before the Skywalker saga, when the Galactic Republic was said to be at its height.
We currently don't know how exactly Quantic Dream plans to explore this lesser-known aspect of the Star Wars universe. But we do know that we'll be taking control of multiple characters over the course of the story, as is usually the case with Quantic Dream's games.
Given the developer, expect an assortment of branching paths to play out based on your choices in the narrative. That will likely shift the story dramatically, including whatever the eventual ending will look like.
Star Wars Eclipse news
Read on to learn of all the latest news and rumors concerning the development of Star Wars Eclipse. Official news is thin on the ground at present, but we'll endeavor to keep this section updated as we learn more about Quantic Dream's ambitious project.
Eclipse retains the fundamentals of previous Quantic Dream gamesQuantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière has stated that Star Wars Eclipse won't feel too dissimilar to its previous games. Talking in a recent interview with IGN Japan, he confirmed:
“I think with each new title we try to innovate, we try to explore new ground. With Star Wars Eclipse we’re certainly going to keep the fundamental elements of a Quantic Dream game; very strong story, very strong characters, multiple playable characters, and of course, giving the players the possibility to change, through their actions and decisions, how the story unfolds.”
Developers debunk delay rumors
Quantic Dream, the studio behind Star Wars Eclipse, has recently debunked reports of a delay on the game.
In March 2022, Xfire’s Tom Henderson published a report claiming that the game, which he initially estimated to be 3 to 4 years away, could be looking at a 2027 - 2028 release window after an internal delay. Henderson said in the report that the studio is struggling to attract developer talent to help create the game, pointing to repeated job postings.
In a press release published in the same month (via VGC), however, Quantic Dream stated that it’s “serenely carrying on the distinct development of its three in-house productions. Now that the pre-production and prototyping phases have been achieved, 2022 will mark a new progression milestone in the production phases of these three unique titles.”
Star Wars Eclipse: what we want to see
Better storytelling
This isn't so much of a Star Wars problem as it is a Quantic Dream problem. If we're being brutally honest, while the developer's games are usually a chaotically fun ride, they certainly leave a lot to be desired in terms of deep, sincere storytelling.
Quantic Dream's narratives are often quite ham-fisted in their execution and sometimes leave themselves wide open for ripe meme potential. After all, who could ever forget Ethan Mars' legendary "Jason!" yell from Heavy Rain?
We're not saying Quantic Dream is incapable of quality narratives. It absolutely isn't. But judging from the Star Wars Eclipse trailer, we're in for a much more brooding, potentially darker story than what we're used to from the franchise. Hopefully, in tandem with Lucasfilm Games, the developer can deliver a story worth remembering.
Quality action
It's fair to say that action games aren't really Quantic Dream's forte, but we're more than happy to see the developer branch out to other gameplay styles. Traditionally, most action-oriented segments in Quantic Dream's previous games are dictated by quick-time events and other scripted sequences.
We're not necessarily asking for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order levels of quality here. But we'd like to see at least a decently competent suite of combat scenarios, abilities, and potentially learnable skills and upgrades.
