The Scrapped Star Wars Game That Was the BioWare-Style ARPG Fans Deserved

The Star Wars universe has perpetually served as fertile ground for transmedia storytelling, thriving across novels, graphic serials, and interactive media. Yet, despite celebrated triumphs such as Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and BioWare’s sprawling Star Wars: The Old Republic, the franchise’s gaming lineage is not without its casualties. A considerable number of concepts are quietly shuttered long before reaching the public sphere.

While the gaming community frequently laments prominent abandonments—such as the high-profile Mandalorian shooter from EA and Respawn—another lost title has unexpectedly come to light. As recently reported by MP1st, an unannounced action role-playing game codenamed Star Wars: Magellan has surfaced through archival development footage.

Unlike the widely publicized Respawn endeavor, Magellan was a clandestine project spearheaded by Echtra Games, the studio best known for developing Torchlight III. When parent publisher Zynga shuttered the developer in June 2025, active production across all internal projects—including this ambitious galactic title—abruptly dissolved.

The project’s existence came to light when an anonymous former Echtra developer incorporated production assets into their digital portfolio. The materials reveal a dual-protagonist dynamic centered around a Twi’lek Force-wielder labeled “The Hunted Jedi” alongside a Mandalorian warrior known as “The Exile.” Internal files categorized the pair as the “Cleric” and “Triggerman,” respectively. Supporting assets indicate the game was engineered around cooperative multiplayer, enabling pairs of players to battle through cohorts of Imperial Stormtroopers, combat droids, and hostile extraterrestrial creatures.

Further analysis by MP1st indicates that Magellan incorporated an intricate “NPC Bond system.” While leaked gameplay showcases only a few supporting characters, the underlying mechanic was designed to let players cultivate relationships with non-player characters that would directly steer narrative trajectories—a hallmark feature reminiscent of classic BioWare role-playing experiences.

Stylistically, Magellan shares visual DNA with Zynga’s arena shooter Star Wars: Hunters, noticeable in the stylized character modeling of its Twi’lek protagonist and Imperial adversaries. However, its combat pacing, deliberate lightsaber mechanics, and third-person shooting point toward a full-scale PC and console release rather than a free-to-play mobile architecture.

Uncovering unreleased Star Wars projects is always a bittersweet revelation for fans, particularly when the creative direction shows genuine promise. Fortunately, players have upcoming releases to look forward to, including Star Wars: Zero Company arriving August 27 and Star Wars: Galactic Racer slated for October 6.

Source: Polygon