Star Wars: Eclipse is an immersive, story-driven title in the works at Quantic Dream.
Known for Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain, Quantic has a track record of providing compelling if flawed titles that allow players to explore their characters and settings in ways that rival the best story games. With this in mind, it looks as though Star Wars: Eclipse is in safe hands at the French studio, even if we still don't know much about the upcoming game.
What we do know, however, is that Star Wars: Eclipse will involve plenty of player choices, take place from multiple perspectives, and be set during the time of the High Republic - hundreds of years before the films. As the name implies, this is a time in Star Wars history when the Jedi were ascendant. At this point, everyone's favorite space wizards were roaming the galaxy, acting as peacekeepers. It'll be fascinating to see how Quantic tackles this interesting slice of the Star Wars canon. In the meantime, read on to find out everything we know about Star Wars: Eclipse including quotes from developers and our own predictions.
Star Wars: Eclipse: cut to the chase
- What is it? A narrative-driven action-adventure game set in the Star Wars universe
- When does it come out? TBC, but likely not several years at least
- What can I play it on? TBC
- Who is making it? Quantic Dream
Star Wars Eclipse trailers
After rumors of its existence, Quantic Dream finally broke its silence on its upcoming 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 aliens, and a gorgeous sci-fi cityscape that could well be Coruscant, the capital of the Republic.
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 is 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," said Quantic Dream. This era takes place hundreds of years before the Skywalker saga, back 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 throughout the story, as is usually the case with Quantic Dream's games.
One of the screenshots on the official Star Wars website is labeled "Yoda stands in an empty Jedi Council room," suggesting not only the appearance of the Jedi Council but also the inclusion of a younger Yoda in Eclipse's storyline. Given Yoda is almost 900 around the time of the films, it makes sense that the iconic green Jedi would be around during the High Republic era, too.
Given the developer's track record, we expect an assortment of branching paths to play out based on your choices in the narrative. These decisions will likely shift the story dramatically, altering what the eventual ending will look like, too. As the Star Wars website puts it, in Eclipise: "You have the power to make choices with consequences thanks to many outcomes in this deeply branching narrative."
The site also promises to explore "an uncharted section of the galaxy with never-before-seen species and planets to discover[...] The Outer Rim is rife with opportunities - and political tensions that could alter the fabric of peace." This suggests that we'll be exploring a new section of The Outer Rim. For the uninitiated, this is the most lawless and mysterious part of the Star Wars galaxy; a wild frontier where anything goes.
With any luck, we'll be able to play as a combination of Force-sensitive and more mundane characters, getting lots of different perspectives on the High Republic era.
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 keep this section updated as we learn more about Quantic Dream's ambitious project.
"Anyone can die" in Star Wars: Eclipse
In an interview with IGN at Tokyo Game Show 2023, vice president of marketing at Quantic Dream, Lisa Pendse revealed that "there's no game over, anyone can die, anything can happen and the story... continues." Pendse also made it clear that Star Wars: Eclipse is "actually an action-adventure game that has all the elements you would come to expect and want from a Quantic Dream title."
Eclipse retains the fundamentals of previous Quantic Dream games
Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière has stated that Star Wars Eclipse won't feel too dissimilar to its previous games. In an interview with IGN Japan in September 2022, he stated:
“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.”
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 fun ride and offer strong themes, they certainly leave a lot to be desired in terms of consistent storytelling.
Quantic Dream's narratives are often quite ham-fisted in their execution, with dialogue that shoots right past the realm of the dramatic and into the unintentionally hilarious. After all, who could ever forget Ethan Mars' legendary "Jason!" yell from Heavy Rain?
Judging from the Star Wars Eclipse trailer, we're in for a much more brooding, potentially darker story, perhaps more in line with recent Star Wars TV series like Andor or The Mandalorian. Hopefully, working in tandem with Lucasfilm Games, Quantic Dream can deliver a story worth remembering.
Quality action
Though action games aren't really Quantic Dream's forte, we'd be more than happy to see the developer branch out to include more involved game mechanics. Traditionally, most action-oriented segments in Quantic Dream games are dictated by quick-time events and other scripted sequences, but there's potential here for the studio to push the boat out and maybe experiment with something a little more concrete.
This isn't to say that we should expect a title with the tight combat mechanics of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. However, there is certainly scope for Quantic Dream to innovate in its own way, perhaps introducing combat mini-games that demand more of the player than your typical quick-time event.
In an interview with IGN at Tokyo Game Show 2023, Quantic Dream vice president of marketing revealed that the title would be an "action adventure game". Though we don't yet know what shape these action-adventure mechanics will take, it's clear that Quantic Dream is taking Star Wars: Eclipse in a new direction.
Looking for more top-tier titles? Check out our lists of the best PS5 games, the best Xbox Series X games, and the best PC games.
