Early footage of a cancelled multiplayer Star Wars action roleplaying game, codenamed Star Wars Magellan, has surfaced online, offering a glimpse of what could have been. The game, in development at Zynga subsidiaries Echtra Games and NaturalMotion, was reportedly abandoned due to a strategic realignment within Zynga and Take-Two Interactive, which acquired Zynga in 2022.
Development and Cancellation
Magellan entered development in 2021 after Echtra Games was acquired by Zynga, though it was never explicitly described as a Star Wars game at the time. It was only announced as a cross-platform roleplaying game. The project was ultimately shelved, with Echtra Games being shut down in 2025, having never released a new game during its four years under Zynga's ownership.
The footage was shared by MP1st, which obtained it from the personal portfolio of a former Echtra Games staff member, whose identity has been withheld for privacy reasons. The game was in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Gameplay and Setting
The footage features two playable characters: a Mandalorian armed with twin blasters and a jetpack, and a Twi'lek Jedi wielding a green lightsaber alongside a regular blaster. Players can be seen fighting hordes of enemies, including Stormtroopers, confirming the game was set during the original trilogy era. The gameplay appears to be a looter shooter, with loot chests and the text 'shoot and loot' appearing in the footage.
The game was designed as a multiplayer experience, with players able to team up with others. It is likely that the Mandalorian and Jedi were among several character classes, each with unique abilities, though this was not officially confirmed.
Impact and Future Star Wars Games
It is unclear if Magellan's cancellation was related to Zynga's other Star Wars project, Star Wars: Hunters, a free-to-play arena shooter also developed by NaturalMotion. Hunters launched in June 2024 but performed poorly, leading Zynga to shut it down just nine months later.
Despite the cancellation, fans have several Star Wars games to look forward to this year, including Star Wars Zero Company, releasing later this month, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer, scheduled for October. Additionally, a third Star Wars Jedi game is in development.
