Star Wars Fans Have Something to Anticipate on April 19

Disney made it official by announcing that Bit Reactor’s new Star Wars strategy game will be unveiled on April 19 at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, as reported by PC Gamer. The April 18 to April 20 convention in Chiba City will see new Star Wars projects unveiled, and Bit Reactor’s panel has been slated for 4:30 PM local time on April 19.

A Long-Awaited Reveal

Bit Reactor is a standalone game studio formed in 2021 by a few Firaxis Games veterans, most famously of course for developing XCOM and Civilization. Their Star Wars strategy title was announced back in early 2022 under a partnership with EA’s Respawn Entertainment, but nothing has been said since.

While the turn-based nature of the game was earlier rumored, Star Wars Celebration Japan’s schedule puts the speculation in its place officially. This follows the Bit Reactor tradition of complex strategy gameplay, indicating that the game may be appealing to fans of XCOM and Civilization.

Almost Finished and Possible Star Wars Day Launching

Although unveiled in 2022, reports indicate development began as far back as late 2021. Given the standard five-year AAA development cycle, it appears the game is nearing completion. With its first public unveiling in April, it is also going to be featured on Star Wars Day on May 4, possibly along with a release window or gameplay announcement.

Bit Reactor co-founder Greg Foertsch previously described the project as an ambitious, high-production-value strategy game that is sophisticated but accessible. EA, though it canceled a Mandalorian FPS in early 2024, still backs this project in a publishing capacity.

With turn-based game play established, Bit Reactor’s Star Wars game would fill the hitherto empty space for strategy-based Star Wars games. Though previous games such as Empire at War had a niche audience, current Star Wars games have been action-based.

Star Wars enthusiasts who are hungry for a new twist on strategy play will be waiting anxiously for April 19 to see what will be the biggest new installment in the series.