Star Wars: First Assault 'predecessor' to Battlefront III, release uncertain

There’s a disturbance in the force and it’s called Disney. It seems another title maybe clinging to life after the Mickey Mouse executives bought LucasArts and all the IP. A predecessor to Battlefront III could be cancelled.

Apparently the leaked Star Wars: First Assault on Xbox.com was LucasArts ready to test the water for a full blown follow-up to Battlefront. It was a digital only title that was due this spring.

Up to 16 players are said to be supported in First Assault pitching 8 storm troopers against 8 rebels in various iconic locations like Bespin or Anchorhead on Tatooine.

Should First Assault have sold like hotcakes then it would have bolstered efforts behind the heavily rumoured Battlefront III. LucasArts was even gearing up to cope with possible demand explosions when First Assault debuted. Unfortunately the Disney buyout seems to be threatening all Star Wars game development.

Star Wars 1313 was thought to be safe initially but now work has reportedly stalled, with LucasArts employees unsure if their work will actually see the light of day.

Kotaku’s source had some sharp words: ”Fans should tell Disney/Lucas loud and clear they don’t want shitty titles from random developers; they want games to be taken seriously, and they will only pay for quality. I believe that if Disney/Lucas lets LucasArts die, it means the death of Star Wars as a storied game franchise is right behind it.”

Star Wars 1313 officially revealed at E3 2012. The game footage below is running in 64-bit mode with DirectX 11.