After two canceled releases, the much delayed concluding LEGO Star Wars video game – The Skywalker Saga – has finally been given a shelf date of April 5th.
In their press statement, Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment states that “Warner Bros. Games, TT Games, the LEGO Group and Lucasfilm Games today revealed a new game overview trailer for LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga, which is set to release on April 5th, 2022 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch™ and PC.” before going on to share the word that the new six-minute gameplay trailer gives an in-depth look into the characters – including The Mandalorian and Rogue One DLC packs and classes, combat mechanics, the almost-open world freedom and (perhaps most importantly!) the mumble mode that strips out the vocals and replaces them with the squeaks and tones of the earlier LEGO Star Wars titles.
While fans are delighted, industry experts are concerned with reports that over the last few years – as a result of deadlines crunches, rapidly changing requirements and hostile working cultures – Tt Games has allegedly become a toxic workplace.
Speaking anonymously with a number of staff members who have left the gaming studio during the development of The Skywalker Saga has linked to claims that working hours are beyond expectation, bullying is commonplace and there are significant gender inequalities.
The director would request new mechanics on a whim, then ask that they be changed, whilst never actually fixing anything that really mattered.
A former employee of Tt Games (source: Polygon.com)
With LEGO already looking at their relationship with Activision, could this long-standing partner be the next company to come under scrutiny?
With a development timeline that’ll give your scrolling finger a good workout, it’s been a long journey to get this far.
- June 9th (2019) – LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga game announced and trailer revealed
- June 11th – In game imagery revealed at E3
- December 20th – Tt Games shares a sizzle reel
- March 17th (2020) – release date news begins to leak, indicating an April 20th release date
- April 3rd – LEGO product information indicates new sets will come with DLC codes
- April 20th – no game released
- May 4th – Tt Games releases key art via starwars.com, who lets slip (and redacts) an October 20th release date
- May 14th – retailers in United States begin to take pre-orders and promote exclusives
- August 28th – new gameplay trailer released and Deluxe version revealed
- September 16th – Tt Games staff member leaks load screen
- April 3rd (2021) – Tt Games tweets that Spring 2021 release will not be met
- July 23rd – promotional material for cancelled May 31st release appears on eBay
- August 26th – Warner Brothers releases new gameplay trailer and release update at Gamescon
- January 20th (2022) – final release date of April 5th confirmed
Has the game become too ambitious and expansive, or will the wait be worth it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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