Skydance New Media, a new studio helmed by award-winning writer and director Amy Hennig, will team up with Lucasfilm Games to make an action-adventure game with an original story in the Star Wars galaxy.
Hennig, the co-creator of the first three Uncharted games at Sony’s Naughty Dog studio, has a knack for making story-driven single-player adventure games with interesting characters. In addition to the Star Wars game, Hennig’s studio is also working on a Marvel-based game.
The move shows that Disney’s Lucas division is spreading out its bets on PC and console games beyond Electronic Arts, where Hennig previously presided over a Star Wars game that was canceled in 2017. After that project ended, Hennig joined the gaming division of Hollywood studio Skydance Media, maker of the Mission Impossible and Terminator movies. She started the Bay Area and Santa Monica, California-based studio along with longtime collaborator Julian Beak.
“I’ve often described how seeing Star Wars in 1977 essentially rewired my 12-year-old brain, shaping my creative life and future indelibly,” said Hennig, president of Skydance New Media, in a statement. “I’m elated to be working with Lucasfilm Games again to tell interactive stories in this galaxy that I love.”
Hennig was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at 2019’s Game Developers Choice Awards and was presented with the 2016 BAFTA Special Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the video game industry.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working again with Amy. She and the Skydance New Media team have the talent and ambition to create a unique Star Wars adventure,” said Douglas Reilly, vice president at Lucasfilm Games, in a statement. “Their vision for making inviting, cinematic interactive entertainment makes this collaboration very exciting. We’re working hard with their team of experienced and talented developers, and we’re looking forward to sharing more with Star Wars fans when the time is right.”
Skydance New Media was formed in 2019 with the goal of creating high-fidelity, richly interactive experiences crafted for traditional gaming platforms as well as emerging streaming services and designed to be appealing, inviting and accessible to a global audience.
Since its creation, the studio has assembled a team of developers and artists with decades of triple-A experience in action and adventure gaming, as well as a diverse team of creative consultants from the worlds of film, television, games, and comics.
On the Marvel project, Skydance has only said Hennig’s studio partnered with Marvel Entertainment to craft an all-new game with an original story and a unique take on beloved Marvel characters.
“We couldn’t be happier to be working with Lucasfilm Games,” said Beak, executive vice president and general manager of Skydance New Media, in a statement. “We look forward to taking fans on an epic journey with this Star Wars action-adventure title.”