What makes a good Star Wars game? For some, it comes down to making a wide array of MMORPG choices in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, for others it may be flying a Tie Fighter in Star Wars: Squadrons. This writer enjoys throwing his lightsaber at stormtroopers in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - we all have our weird little fantasies! But no Stars Wars game offered a fantasy quite as unique as Star Wars 1313, and here's why I'm never going to give up on it one day becoming a reality.
Built as something of a spiritual successor to 2002's action-adventure game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Star Wars 1313 would've had players take control of a pair of bounty hunters - first an all-new one in the franchise, then later in the game we'd have taken charge of the famed Boba Fett. Not only would its transition from father to son have made the game a pseudo-sequel, but its gameplay was similar as well. Bounty Hunter was a blast. The game had you flying across the galaxy to collect bounties, and featured some of the most unique weapons in the series; from Jango Fett's blasters to his famed jetpack, Bounty Hunter offered something different from the endless Star Wars games that strictly focused on Jedi and Sith.
In 2012, I was stunned by the Star Wars 1313 gameplay reveal at E3. The chance to play as a bounty hunter, and explore Coruscant's underworld (1313 is in reference to Level 1313, where the scum and villainy of the planet reside), was mouthwatering. With developers like Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, and others getting the chance to make various types of Star Wars titles, my torch for 1313 burns hotter than ever. Bounty Hunter and 1313 show that there are other wonderful possibilities for video games within the Star Wars universe.
But in 2013, after purchasing Star Wars from George Lucas, Disney closed down LucasArts, and the prospects of Star Wars: 1313 seeing the light of day turned grim, especially following reports that the franchise's new owner had abandoned its trademark for 1313 in 2014. This would suggest that Disney has all but closed the door on this game, but I still believe it's not the end of the road. If resurrected, the odds of the game carrying the 1313 moniker are low but it could be branded as something else, and have the same set of Courscant.
In the same year as the reports about the abandoned trademark came out, the famous CG test footage for Deadpool from 2010 was leaked. Deadpool production had seemingly been abandoned at the time of the leak, but the incredibly positive reception to the footage, with fans flocking to social media and demanding the Ryan Reynolds-led movie be put in production, no doubt played a big part in reviving the production. The rest is, of course, history, as the series was and still is a huge success, with Deadpool 3 coming in the future.
So why did I mention that? Well, this year, previously unseen Boba Fett
In this time of mass Star Wars game projects, fans can rally around footage like this to let Disney know it's time to put 1313 and its characters in a Bacta Tank, heal it from its wounds, and give it life once more. It's important for Disney to realize that there is more to the Star Wars lore and universe than lightsabers and dogfights. Another bounty hunter-themed game is long overdue. I would love to explore the actual underbelly of various cities like Coruscant and those of other planets, I want to build my own ship that contains a carbonite pool area for all of my 'guests' to relax in.
All these things are possible, and I am very hopeful that off the back of the response to that footage, a new bounty hunter experience will be in production soon (if not already). If it never happens, then it will be a wasted opportunity, but it's important for people to speak their minds and let those in power know that this is the game we all want to play.