Amy Hennig Departs EA, Her Untitled 'Star Wars' Game Is Now On Hold

Electronic Arts shut down Visceral Games last October and the secret “Star Wars” game it was developing was reportedly being changed. Now the game’s creative director, Amy Hennig, has confirmed that she has parted ways with EA to start her own independent studio and that the upcoming “Star Wars” game has been shelved.

“I'm not, I have not worked at EA since January, technically, legally. Yes. This is the problem, it was hard enough for them, but people were immediately asking them 'is Amy working with you?' and the answer was 'well, we're in negotiations...' like, hmm. It was, sort of the soft pedal answer,” Hennig told Eurogamer when she was asked if she was still the creative director of EA’s untitled “Star Wars” project.

“I get along with all those people, I consider even the guys on the exec team friends. But it made it awkward because it was like, 'I never got the chance to announce that I'm not at EA so I need to just pull off that band-aid at some point - but also had nothing to announce. It makes it sound like I just went home! But I'm doing all this stuff, working on all kinds of things.”

EA executive vice president Patrick Söderlund revealed in October that they shut down Visceral Games and that the untitled “Star Wars” project was being changed “to be a broader experience.” At the time, Söderlund said that EA Worldwide Studios would take over the development of the project, while a team from EA Vancouver will take the lead. An EA spokesperson said that the publisher was still in discussions with Hennig “about her next move.”

Hennig is mostly known for being the creative director for Naughty Dog and is credited as the director and writer of the first three “Uncharted” games. Hennig has now revealed that she has started her own independent studio, which may develop new virtual reality games. She also confirmed that their version of the upcoming “Star Wars” game is now “on the shelf."

“I'm working independently and staying independent. I just started my own small little independent studio and am consulting with some people. I'm hoping to bring some people on board, I would love to have a little company of about six to eight people, 15 at the most, and do some more projects, do some VR stuff - I'm consulting with some VR companies and doing a ton of research because I haven't played a lot to immerse myself in it,” Hennig said. “So yeah, I'm not doing anything 'Star Wars.' And, who knows what the future may hold, but that project is on the shelf now.”

She also commented that EA Vancouver is now working on something that’s different from what they wanted to do with the game. She mentioned that the studio was going for a “more open world” style of gameplay. Hennig also said that she would love to resurrect the “Star Wars” game that they were working on, but she said that “it’s complicated.” Hennig also took to Twitter to clarify her statements.

The untitled “Star Wars” game was originally announced by EA in 2016 and was supposed to be released during the company's 2019 fiscal year (April 2018 - March 2019). EA said at the time that the game would offer “an original, authentic narrative in the Star Wars universe.” EA is not commenting on the status of the upcoming game, but it did confirm that Hennig left the company.

“Yes, Amy Hennig has moved on from Electronic Arts. Amy is an amazing storyteller — a crafter and a creator. We have so much respect for her and the creative spirit she brought to the teams and projects she worked on at EA. We wish Amy all the best with what comes next, and we will all be watching with excitement,” the company said in a statement to The Verge.