5 things we know about Star Wars: Squadrons

With the official reveal of Star Wars: Squadrons, fans have plenty to look forward to. Here are five things we now know about the latest addition to the SW video game universe.

Star Wars: Squadrons is an intriguing new addition to the lineup of SW titles already on the market.

Where Battlefront II was all about letting players take on the role of their favorite individual characters to duke it out on the battlefield, Squadrons focuses on the space combat we know and love from the movies.

With a full gameplay reveal coming from EA around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the information laid out on the table thus far for a quick rundown of what we already know about the game right now.

It takes place following the Battle of Endor

Electronic Arts made it very clear that this new game is set firmly within the established universe. In fact, it takes place following the Battle of Endor, after the Rebel Alliance had completely decimated the Death Star. However, the story is told from multiple perspectives from there so as to give a nuanced portrait of the story being told.

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Some missions will find you taking on the role of a pilot flying as part of the Empire’s Titan squadron, while others will see you entering the New Republic’s Vanguard. You’ll be able to customize both to your liking, as well as play alongside a “diverse cast of original characters”. Expect cameos from familiar faces to pop up here and there as well.

Both single-player and multiplayer modes are included

Contrary to what many likely believed when Squadrons was first announced, the game isn’t a multiplayer-only affair. While it will be rife with plenty of ways to play with your friends, including as part of 5v5 dogfights, there will be a separate single-player campaign to complete on your own as well. According to EA, it tells an “original” and “authentic” tale.

It’s unclear how the single-player mode will work, whether it’s broken up into missions or if it’s an overarching campaign, but with the focus being squarely on multiplayer, it will likely be less full-featured than most Star Wars titles with multiple components.

The jury’s still out on that, though, as we’ve only seen a few snippets of the game just yet ahead of the gameplay reveal.

There’s VR support for both PC and PSVR

Star Wars: Squadron is confirmed to support VR across all platforms that utilize it. That means you’ll be able to jump into virtual reality and experience the Star Wars universe via PC and PlayStation VR. Jumping into the cockpit will go a long way to immerse players, and it will feel that much closer to actually hopping into a TIE fighter and heading out on a mission with your own personal squadron.

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EA hasn’t confirmed if the entirety of the single-player or multiplayer segments are supported, but it stands to reason that much of the game will likely be included since it has been an important part of advertising the game since the news dropped on June 15.

Whether it will encompass simple cockpit emulation or something larger remains to be seen, but it’s still worth getting excited about.

There will be no microtransactions

Given the previous controversy surrounding Battlefront II’s dubious usage of microtransactions in the past, it remained unknown whether EA might decide to go down the same path for its newest Star Wars title. However, Squadrons has been confirmed to be bereft of microtransactions, much to the delight of fans.

Instead, it will feature “rich” cosmetics as well as customization options that may be earned exclusively through gameplay. This includes a wide variety of parts for the different ships that will be available, including hulls, shields, and engines. These will be earned and applied as you level up.

Cross-play is available across all platforms

If you’re ready to jump into Squadrons, you won’t have to pick and choose which system you want play on based on what your friends are getting. EA has announced that the game will support cross-play across all platforms.

That includes Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store. There hasn’t been any sort of explanation about how cross-play will function or across which modes just yet, but this is fantastic news for anyone worried they might miss out on gaming with their own squad.

With all that in mind, there’s still more to learn. The game is set to debut on October 2. We’ll keep you updated on all the latest happenings between now and then.