LucasArts
and Sony Online Entertainment announced the
development of the first expansion product for Star
Wars Galaxies,
their massively multiplayer online role-playing game series. The
add-on, expected to be available six months after the initial product
release, will enable players to own and fly starships, allowing
interplanetary travel and space combat.
The
Star
Wars Galaxies online game series is designed to immerse
players in the Star Wars universe. The first product,
expected to release in second half 2002, will feature dynamic
role-playing ground-based adventures across multiple planets in the
classic Star Wars timeframe. Gameplay will offer a unique
combination of combat, exploration, social interaction, specialized
missions, and daring quests. Players will explore multiple Star
Wars environments on foot or in land vehicles. Traveling between
planets will be accomplished through the use of public shuttles, which
ferry characters from world to world.
The anticipated space component of the Star Wars Galaxies
online game will add personal starships and starfighters to the game,
which can be used for travel or space combat. The expansion also
promises additional worlds, playable species, non-player characters,
creatures, and a variety of other elements.
"We view
Star
Wars Galaxies as a collection of massively multiplayer
experiences that combine to form a multi-faceted perpetual
universe," says Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts.
"Hundreds of thousands of gamers around the world will be able to
choose whether to base their Star Wars alter-egos on ground, or
whether to take them up into space -- for exploration, combat, or even
to attempt the legendary Kessel Run. We know from our community boards
that fans want to play Star Wars Galaxies in space as
well as on planet -- we're happy to say they'll be able to do
so."
The space
component of Star Wars Galaxies is being developed as an
expansion product in order to ensure that both aspects of the
experience meet the high expectations of fans and game players.
Ultimately, both the planet and space-based elements will provide
players with greater game play flexibility and a wealth of content.
"The
staggered release schedule of the space component of the Star
Wars Galaxies series will benefit players because they will
have time to establish their characters and explore different elements
of the core game before we add the space layer," says Rich Vogel,
director of development at Sony Online Entertainment's Austin studio.
"Once the space component becomes available, players who have
been with us since the beginning will be ready to buy their own
starships and launch into this new arena."
Al
Wildey |