Star Wars MMORPG: Isn’t it time for a new release?

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

We are way overdue for a new Star Wars MMORPG (role-playing games), so isn’t it time for a new one?

An MMORPG is a sandbox player’s dream. It lets us venture into a complete world and live fantasies that would only be possible a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The year 2004 saw the rise of one of the greatest MMOs in the Star Wars universe with Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (SWG), which ended in 2011 to facilitate the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR).

Now, almost eight years into the future, we begin to wonder if it’s time for a new Star Wars MMORPG? If that were to happen, here are some things we’d love to see carry over from the old games, and some things we think should stay relics of an older, non-canonical era.

The New Game Enhancement Tragedy of Star Wars Galaxies

"A long time ago, in a galaxy hosted by Sony Online Entertainment, there was a royal guard from Alderaan. His codename in the Imperium was Servantes, and he was loyal to his Emperor. He had long suspected the planet’s royal family of harboring Rebels and worked tirelessly to expose the corruption of long-time Senator Organa and the royal household. Servantes spent years trying to convince his wife and daughter to move to another world in the Core, but they wouldn’t have it. They loved their home, and the royal family had only ever been nice to them. When the traitor’s chickens finally came home to roost, Servantes’ family died along with the corrupt Senator and his household. Organa’s traitorous daughter, however, became a hero of the Rebellion despite being the reason the Death Star eradicated their homeworld. This was a slight Servantes, who was undercover offworld at Bestine during the event, would neither forget nor forgive."

This was the background story I wrote for my SWG Imperial commando character, who began his life on Bestine and was celebrated for his unique Human appearance and thought-provoking background. In a player-sponsored background story writing contest, the host quipped: “I thought I couldn’t take one more ‘Alderaan orphan’ background, but this was a great twist!” Such is the way of the MMO; it became a second life for players willing to dedicate the time and creative energy to fleshing it out.