Why You Can Trust CNET Star Wars: Squadrons trailer reveals multiplayer space battles, coming Oct. 2
It's coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC, and will support cross-play and VR.
EA revealed Star Wars: Squadrons in a trailer Monday, and it'll land on PS4, Xbox One, PC on Oct. 2. You'll be able to play in New Republic and Imperial starfighters in a single player campaign and multiplayer.
It'll also support cross-play, so you'll be able to play with friends no matter what platform you get the game on, EA said. You can also play through the whole game in VR on PS4 and PC, but the company didn't specify which headsets would be supported.
Squadrons will get a full gameplay reveal during EA's Play Live 2020 event at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday, but you can preorder the game now for $40.
The selection of Imperial ships includes the TIE Bomber, TIE Intercepter, TIE Fighter and TIE Reaper.
The game's story takes place after Return of the Jedi and the rebels' victory at the Battle of Endor, with the perspective alternating between the fledgling New Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Empire's much cooler-sounding Titan Squadron. We'll meet a bunch of new characters, with cameos from "familiar faces" -- it looks like Wedge Antilles and Rebels' Hera Syndulla show up in the trailer.
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Multiplayer battles will divide players into two teams of five. In the Fleet Battles mode, you'll have to destroy an opposing flagship, while Dogfights will see you trying to shoot down as many opponents as possible.
It'll include a bunch of cosmetic and gameplay customization options that you'll unlock "solely through gameplay" (so, no icky microtransactions). As you move up the ranks, you'll earn weapons, hulls, engines and shields that'll change your starfighters' performance, and cosmetic items you can use to tweak your cockpits, ship exteriors, and the appearance of your pilot.
The game will also take you to "never-before-seen locations" like the gas giant of Yavin Prime (which we saw at a distance in A New Hope) and the shattered moon of Galitan.
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"We created this game for every Star Wars fan who has ever dreamt about soaring across the galaxy in their favorite starfighter," Ian Frazier, creative director at developer Motive Studios, said in a release.
The New Republic selection includes the A-Wing, X-Wing, Y-Wing and U-Wing.
The artwork leaked on the official Xbox site Friday, as noted by CNET sister site GameSpot. It's likely the game was scheduled to be revealed during EA's event on June 11, which was rescheduled to June 18 because of nationwide protests over racial injustice.
It'll be the first Star Wars game since November 2019's Jedi: Fallen Order, and we haven't seen a completely starfighter-centric one since Rogue Squadron: Rebel Strike in 2003. EA's Battlefront and Battlefront 2 also had multiplayer modes that put you in a fighter's cockpit.
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