Spec Ops: The Line was pretty good, right? An average third-person shooter elevated by its story: a videogame riff on Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness. Set in Dubai, the game was a refreshing change from the usual gung-ho shooters, with a decidedly anti-military take on armed conflict. Well, Star Wars Battlefront 2’s single-player story is being co-written by its lead writer, Walt Williams.
If you’re a fan of virtual conflict, check out our list of the best war games.
Williams has stated in the past that he thinks videogames can do violence much better. He doesn’t believe virtual violence is bad, but he thinks too much of it desensitises us. In other words, violence in videogames is more affecting when used sparingly, or when it’s better contextualised.
Hopefully this means Star Wars Battlefront 2 has its share of quiet moments, in which the exciting space battles and forest-set firefights have something to contrast against.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 puts players in the shoes of Iden Versio, the commander of Imperial black ops team Inferno Squad. The story follows the destruction of the Death Star, with the Empire looking for revenge on the Rebellion for this terrible act of terrorism.
Basically, you play as the bad guys and see what they got up to during the 30-year gap between Episode VI and VII, while also taking control of a famous face every now and then.
Excited to finally reveal what @MitchyD and I have been working on for the last year. Can't wait for you to meet Inferno Squad. #StarWars https://t.co/J4qJlWMmxH
— Walt Williams (@waltdwilliams) April 15, 2017
Elsewhere in the writer credits, ex-IGN journalist Mitch Dyer is co-writing the faction-flipped storyline. This will be Dyer’s first triple-A writing project.