Star Wars shooter First Assault in development… but may never be released

A digital-only precursor to the ill-fated Battlefront III is in development at LucasArts, but may not now ever be released.

That’s according to Kotaku, which says that Star Wars: First Assault is a 16-player multiplayer shooter that was at one stage scheduled for a release this spring.

The idea behind it was for the title to serve as a precursor to a possible new Battlefront III. That, incidentally, would not be long-discussed Free Radical and Slant Six game but a brand new title built using the First Assault engine. Battlefront III ‘s development would be either approved or scrapped depending on the success of the digital taster, although preliminary work on it has already begun.

However, much like the also in-development Star Wars 1313, staff currently remain in the dark regarding the game’s progress as Disney has yet to finalise its gaming strategy following its acquisition of LucasArts.

The site’s source adds that LucasArts is bleeding talent” as workers are forced to live in a state of uncertainty.