Boba Fett’s grand return in The Mandalorian took the internet by storm, with fans of the bounty hunter finally being given a reason to love him beyond his set of armor or old Legends lore. Seeing Fett in action was a welcome sight, with the show’s creative team realizing the potential the character had 37 years after his unfortunate fall into the Sarlacc Pit. Beyond that, the talented clone will be given his own spinoff show, titled The Book of Boba Fett, in 2021.
While fans of the character will be thrilled to see the morally ambiguous Boba Fett ruling the old crime empire of Jabba the Hutt, it is hard not to be reminded of another high-profile project centered on the character. Star Wars 1313 was revealed at E3 in 2012, with the project centered on a young Boba Fett’s rise to becoming the galaxy’s most fearsome bounty hunter. With multiple gameplay clips of Star Wars 1313 released, fans saw the potential the game had, with the heartbreak caused by the cancellation announcement still being felt to this day. However, with Boba Fett reaching a new peak in popularity and being given his own show, now is the perfect time to revive the project.
Keeping What Worked Intact
While Boba Fett’s solo movie never happened, many fans are more excited than ever for The Book of Boba Fett. The show is promising due to the people involved with the project and the concept teased in the post-credits scene of The Mandalorian’s finale, making it easy to understand why fans are so thrilled about its reveal. That said, the show can only cover so much, as it seems like it will focus entirely on the older version of the bounty hunter. As such, the Boba Fett story that was planned for Star Wars 1313 will likely remain untold — unless the project gets a surprise revival over half a decade after its cancellation.
Star Wars 1313 concept art and screenshots that were leaked earlier this year confirm that the game would have focused on a younger Boba Fett, documenting his early years as a bounty hunter. Making his place in the galaxy, the story could have allowed players to see a deeper side of the character only touched on in Legends lore and The Mandalorian. Still impacted by his father’s death, Boba Fett could have thought back to the lessons learned in his brief time with Jango, with fans learning how the father-son relationship shaped the character’s personality.
Aside from focusing on a growing Boba Fett and a still-unexplored part of his past, the game would have had a perfect setting for players to explore. Taking place on the 1313th level of Coruscant that was explored in the beloved animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, players would have entered a vibrant underworld full of dangerous gangs and criminal conspiracies. With Star Wars 1313 rumored to have been aiming for a mature rating as well, players would have had the chance to see the darker parts of the Star Wars universe explored in greater detail — with the developers not needing to pull any punches due to the freedom provided by the rating.
Not only was the game set to feature a unique Boba Fett story as well as a memorable setting, but it was also directly influenced by George Lucas. A show pitched by Lucas called Star Wars Underworld was going to focus on the mafia families of the Star Wars universe, taking place on the 1313th level of Coruscant. Designed as a series for adults critical of the child-friendly nature of the first two Prequel films, Star Wars 1313 would have served as a tie-in game for Star Wars Underworld. However, the show never saw the light of day, and while Lucas encouraged the Star Wars 1313 team to use his ideas, the game was also scrapped. If a revival were to happen, Boba Fett, the 1313 setting, and Lucas’ unused concepts should all make a return.
Building On The Potential
What makes the cancelation of Star Wars 1313 particularly frustrating is that there were multiple clips of raw gameplay shown to the public. Like the canceled Maul game, there was more to see than just concept art for Star Wars 1313, as LucasArts was far enough into development to where it could show the game off to fans at multiple events. While the game is 8 years old in its earliest footage, it still holds up well enough, allowing fans to get an idea of what the gameplay loop would be if the project were brought back from the dead.
While Star Wars 1313 would surely need to be updated with modern graphics, much of what was shown in the early snippets of gameplay shows a solid foundation for a revival to build upon. Huge setpiece moments with a focus on climbing mechanics like those seen in the Uncharted series were on display, with the hectic action showing the younger Boba Fett climbing on an exploding spaceship. With the dark and desolate 1313 shown briefly in trailers too, the game was proving to be different from the Star Wars projects seen at the time — as well as the Star Wars projects being seen today.
That said, the game could easily be expanded upon. While the Gears of War-like cover shooting mechanics looked fine, they would have limited LucasArts to a linear gameplay style that could be expanded upon in a reboot. Stepping away from cover shooter mechanics and going in a direction with more open areas would allow players to make better use of Boba Fett’s gear, with fans having the necessary space to use Fett’s jetpack, flamethrower, and rockets properly. Beyond that, a more open approach to level design would allow for freedom when taking down bounties in Coruscant, giving players choices as to how they want to progress through the game’s encounters. Expanding on the gameplay systems of Star Wars Bounty Hunter, a revived Star Wars 1313 can easily help Boba Fett surpass his father in the realm of gaming.
With Star Wars fans like God of War director Cory Barlog calling for a Mandalorian-focused video game, it is important to remember that one was almost made years ago. While it would be interesting to play as Din Djarin, it would be just as intriguing to see a further exploration of Boba Fett, as the hype around The Book of Boba Fett series proves that he can carry his own game.
The unique prequel-era location of Coruscant’s 1313th level would help the game stand out from other projects, while a modern version of the game can offer visually impressive takes on the exciting setpieces that were promised. Many aspects of the dream Mandalorian game either existed in or could be added to Star Wars 1313, making it more than worthy of another look from Disney and EA. While it is highly unlikely that Star Wars 1313 ever comes back, it deserves to, and the recent attention on Boba Fett makes this a perfect time to make use of the IP’s potential.
Star Wars 1313 was canceled on April 3, 2013.
