Star Wars Galaxies is being developed by Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts Entertainment Company. The core development team includes some of the most talented developers from both Ultima Online and EverQuest, the two most successful massively multiplayer games to date. With an expected one million registered users upon its launch, the game is destined to create a stir. The game is described as a MMORPG which is a terribly long acronym for "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game". It is used to classify games like EverQuest and Ultima Online. Star Wars Galaxies will be multiplayer only.
According to the designers that is where all similarities of Star Wars Galaxies and Everquest end. Star Wars Galaxies is being designed from the ground up to be its own game. Although many of the designers involved have learned a great deal from games such as EverQuest, Ultima Online and Meridian 59, the developers are dedicated to making a new game designed to work well with the Star Wars universe.
The game is called Galaxies and not Galaxy and it is easy to assume why. It is almost certain that further Galaxies Star Wars titles will surface and the developers plan to use multiple servers/galaxies as opposed to attempting a game with one shared galaxy. The decision to break up versions of the game was based on a number of factors, but it basically comes down to content. It would not be possible to generate enough content, to the level of detail desired and with the high quality the fans expect, for everyone to play in the same space.
An exact release date is not yet available but the game is expected within the second half of 2002. A beta version will soon become available.
