Star Wars 1313 Would Have Starred Boba Fett

Rumor has it, the now-cancelled Star Wars 1313 video game would have starred none other than Boba Fett.

Disney recently shut down LucasArts, taking down the planned StarWars 1313 video game project with it. The move came as a huge surprise, as 1313 had ramped up quite a bit of excitement and speculation since its debut at E3 last year. It was meant to be a gritty take on the Star Wars universe, but not much else was known about it except that it was a next generation game. Probably. Maybe.

Anyway, now that Star Wars 1313 is kaput, we’re learning details that probably wouldn’t have come out until closer to release. The biggest detail is that the protagonist was apparently supposed to be Boba Fett.

Star Wars 1313 was initially rumored to be a completely new and original story, but it sounds like partway through development, the team shifted focus to Boba Fett due to pressure from George Lucas. A recognizable character would have driven up sales, after all. And why take creative risks when you already know what will sell?

Reports also allege that Star Wars 1313 was doomed for some time, at least long before LucasArts’ closure.

Now there are undoubtedly two kinds of Star Wars fans right now. Fans who are upset that Star Wars 1313 was cancelled because they were looking forward to an original Star Wars video game, and fans who are upset that Star Wars 1313 was cancelled because they were looking forward to a Boba Fett game.

Wherever you stand, try to look on the bright side. Jon Quast of The Motley Fool argues that the game’s cancellation is actually a good thing, and implies that we might ultimately get a Star Wars 1313 in some form or another anyway.

First, closing the door on Star Wars video games and closing the door on LucasArts are not the same thing. The properties will live on in the hands of third party developers like Activision or EA. Disney gets to outsource the talent, keep the name, and milk huge licensing agreements. Smart business for them, and good news for you, too. Instead of carrying video games themselves, they’ll turn the titles over to people who can.

Not only that, but the huge cult following of some of these properties means old titles like Monkey Island might get newer installments.

Like I said, try to look on the bright side.

Anyway, which are you? Would you have liked to see Star Wars 1313 as a completely original concept, or would the focus on Boba Fett be the big draw?

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