Once people realized who the studio behind the new game was, some problems started arising online. Quantic Dream has previously faced backlash, specifically regarding the representation of members of the LGBTQ+ community in their video game titles.
Reports of toxic behavior of many forms reach all the way up to the company’s founders. It’s in part CEO David Cage’s derogatory comments toward members of the LGBTQ+ community that have sparked major backlash not against the game itself, but against Lucasfilm Games’ partnership with the controversial studio.
The hashtag #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse has begun trending on Twitter as fans call for Lucasfilm to consider using a different studio for the project. “Star Wars: Eclipse” is set to be in development for three to four years before release, so there is time for the Star Wars brand to find a new game development partner.
Meg Dowell wrote:
Star Wars: Eclipse is a good idea. But not if Quantic Dream stays in charge.
Bryan @ServingPinkMilk spoke with me about #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse and why Star Wars fans are asking @LucasfilmGames to respond.
Star Wars: Eclipse is a good idea. But not if Quantic Dream stays in charge.
The interview Dowell referenced can be heard below. In it, Bryan shares thoughts about Lucasfilm Games partnering with the controversial studio, including:
“I love what they’ve been doing in the books and comics, I really do. I appreciate what the authors, illustrators and everyone involved is doing to open a door to a wider galaxy. But when things like this happen it makes, at least me, feel like I’m good enough in fiction but not in the real world… That’s how this feels, it feels like Lucasfilm is saying, ‘We can change publishing, but film and video games is just too hard, sorry.’”
He went on to note:
“Video games, when successful, are treated with the same level of marketing as movies. I think Lucasfilm needed to reach a larger audience than perhaps they do with books and comics… And that’s where the real problem lies, that is where, being marginalized people, the most discrimination happens; at least the way I see it. We’re relegated to the shadows.”
I support #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse. The High Republic has put queer characters and BIPOC at the forefront of the story, & there is nothing more insulting, to fans and the storytellers who built it, than choosing to work with someone who openly hates people like the heroes of THR.
I support #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse. The High Republic has put queer characters and BIPOC at the forefront of the story, & there is nothing more insulting, to fans and the storytellers who built it, than choosing to work with someone who openly hates people like the heroes of THR.
I love STAR WARS. I love the High Republic era. I also refuse to give Quantic Dreams a single cent of my money. Homophobia and misogyny are disgusting and I refuse to support them. #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse
I love STAR WARS. I love the High Republic era. I also refuse to give Quantic Dreams a single cent of my money. Homophobia and misogyny are disgusting and I refuse to support them. #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse
“In the end, we all choose sides.” . Wise words from Rafa Martez and it bears screaming it from the rooftops as we stand with our LGBTQ+ family in supporting #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse
"In the end, we all choose sides." . Wise words from Rafa Martez and it bears screaming it from the rooftops as we stand with our LGBTQ+ family in supporting #BlackoutStarWarsEclipsepic.twitter.com/f1nnpQknYG
As the first video game to be set in the era of The High Republic, the multimedia initiative that launched with publishing earlier this year, Star Wars Eclipse will feature an original story and unique new characters, each with their own paths, abilities, and roles to play in the tapestry of events that could alter the carefully balanced peace in an uncharted section of the Outer Rim.
Then, leading character actor John Boyega — who played ex-stormtrooper Finn in the final Skywalker Saga trilogy’s main trio alongside Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) — spoke out about feeling sidelined as a Black character in Star Wars.
“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
Credit: Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Games has not yet responded to the #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse campaign, but it will certainly be interesting to see how they react amid the film studio’s recent inclusion movement.
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Credit: Lucasfilm
