Electronic Arts’ mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes will soon receive a major update incorporating characters from the Emmy Award-winning Disney+ series Andor.
Upcoming in-game content includes a new version of the character Cassian Andor and the addition of fan-favorite villains Major Partagaz and Dedra Meero in the latest expansion for Galaxy of Heroes, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary last fall.
Ten years later, Lucasfilm still prioritizes updating the game due to its enduring popularity. The title has attracted more than 150 million players since its launch in 2015. “We have players who play with us for an average of over two hours a day, every day of the year,” Eric Larsen, studio general manager at EA’s Capital Games, told Variety.
Among all the other new Star Wars video games released in the past decade, what’s driving this continued passion for Galaxy of Heroes, a mobile title that utilizes the Star Wars universe’s hologame table as its own playing field?
“There are many different types of Star Wars fandoms, and there are over 300 “This game is meant to be your gateway to Star Wars fandom, whether it started with the original trilogy of movies like I did, or with the new content we’re celebrating like Andor, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka,” said Larsen. “And you can go out there and explore and be exposed to characters from comics and novels and content that maybe didn’t grow up or streaming content that wasn’t your gateway, but there’s a lot of richness to discover.”
The updates to “Andor” come just as Hollywood awards season and nominations for a TV series starring Diego Luna are sparking renewed interest in the show.
“We’re fortunate to be here during awards season and people are talking about ‘Andor,’ and everyone really enjoyed last season and realized what it means to be a rebel and what it takes to build a rebellion,” said Orion Kellogg, executive producer at Lucasfilm Games. “So we’re bringing new versions of Partagas and Dedra Melo and Cassian and other characters from the show into the game because we want players to be able to participate in that conversation and play. Players can play with these characters and say, ‘Oh, yeah, this is how to win a rebellion,’ or, ‘This is how to put down a rebellion.'” I think that’s what’s interesting about this team, it’s really rich in fantasy. Galaxy of Heroes is definitely part of Lucasfilm’s strategy. We know we have a connection with these millions of players and are very excited to be able to offer this opportunity to them. That’s why Capital Games is loading new content. They work with us behind the curtain to plan how to bring these characters to life. They’re getting the visual references and everything else so we can continue to tell the story. ”
The fine line here is whether to maintain the dark tone of Andor and other Star Wars TV series and movies over the lighter tone of Galaxy of Heroes.
“I’m a huge fan of how well[Andor]portrays the danger and reality of people in the Star Wars universe who aren’t Obi-Wan Kenobi or the main characters,” said Kayleigh Roberts, lead producer at Capital Games. “They felt grounded. There was a lot of tension. When they tried to revolt against the Empire, there was a lot of conflict there. So we wanted to make sure that any event we did felt like that. And… I think that’s one of the great things about our holotables: Because it’s a holotable game, we can build events that feel really true to the episodes and movies because they’re small, bite-sized pieces.
Roberts continued, “So even in a larger game, as you move into different events, those events can have very different tones, and you can really focus on what was great about Andor, what was great about the early trilogy. We know that when players go into an event, they can really understand the authenticity of the shows and movies that we put in there. When we did Order 66, it felt like the original. It felt very true to the movie. We had a lot of stuff. I think it was important to cut the scene where the clone troopers and Anakin go to the Jedi Temple and make sure we did that because once I saw the movie, I wanted to get into the game, too. And in this new era of Andor, we wanted to make sure that there was a connection to the game. ”
So when the ‘Andor’ update arrives in the ‘Galaxy of Heroes’ mobile game, we should expect in-character combat tactics to be in full effect.
“You won’t see Dedra Melo pull out a rocket launcher, because that’s fun in a video game. You’ll see Dedra Melo become the most ruthless, ruthless manipulator on the battlefield. She’ll send chills down your spine even when she’s on the phone,” Kellogg said. “The way those abilities and synergies are designed, the way she stands and attacks, is the same as every character in Andor. It really starts with making sure the ingredients are right, and then combining them in different ways to get a variety of fun and authentic results.”
