Star Wars: Squadrons Recruits Players Into Epic Dogfights In Space

There are two things people think of when they think of Star Wars. One, it’s the lightsabers and space wizard powers. The other, is the epic space battles between starships both sleek and clunky. And after an accidental leak on the Xbox store forced their hand, EA dropped the trailer tonight for a Star Wars game about the latter.

Star Wars: Squadrons is an “immersive, first-person space dogfighting experience” that’s been scheduled for release on October 2 for Xbox One, PS4 and on PC via Steam, Origin and the Epic Game Store. The game will also be feature VR support for PC and PS4, though no confirmation yet as to which kits will receive this support.

The trailer was a mood video, presenting us exciting footage of various dogfights in space from both the Rebel side and the Imperial side. Stirring calls to battle as well as a mantra of “remember why we fly,” invokes the more romantic allure of space combat.

Although the trailer, the launch of the official website and the game’s appearance on digital storefronts are the cornerstones of the Star Wars: Squadrons announcement, EA withheld any gameplay footage. The intention is to fully present the game later this week at the EA Play live online event. Squadrons is being developed by EA’s Motive Studios at Montreal.

Star Wars: Squadrons will feature a dedicated single-player mode, and multiple multiplayer modes with no microtransactions. There is also cross-play between all platforms, ensuring that would be pilots can take to the stars with their friends no matter what platform they are on. It marks another cross-play game for EA, following the recent addition of the feature to Need for Speed Heat.

"We created this game for every Star Wars fan who has ever dreamt about soaring across the galaxy in their favorite starfighter," Motive Studios creative director Ian Frazier said in a press statement.

The single-player campaign for Star Wars: Squadron is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, following the defeat of the Emperor and the final days of the Empire that lead up to the New Republic. The game tells an "original" story, and we can only assume based on current mandate at LucasFilm that it will be treated as canon rather than as secondary “Expanded Universe” content.

The story will be told from multiple perspectives. In some missions, you'll play as a pilot who flies in the New Republic's Vanguard squadron; the other is a pilot for the Empire's Titan squadron. The promise is of an "authentic story" and to expect appearances from “familiar faces," and based on the trailer, those include Wedge Antilles and Hera Syndulla.

In multiplayer, you can take control of a number of the "iconic" New Republic and Imperial ships. You will group up with four other pilots to form a complete squad. The Dogfights mode challenges players to work together to take down as many enemy ships as possible, while Fleet Battles offers a more objective-centric scenario that leads to the destruction of the opposing flagship.

Star Wars: Squadrons will also feature cosmetic and game-affecting customization options. EA made it clear that these will all be earned exclusively through gameplay, effectively stressing the difference between this game and the pre-launch controversy that surrounded planned microtransactions for Star Wars: Battlefront II. New weapons, hulls, engines and shields unlock as you rank up, while cosmetics are earned.

Star Wars: Squadrons won’t be a full-price game; it will cost around $40 USD rather than $60 depending on your region. EA and Origin Access subscribers can play the game for 10 hours at launch for free. Origin Access Premiere subscribers, meanwhile, will get the full Squadrons game at no extra cost. We’ll be learning more about the game on June 18 via EA Play Live.

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