14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that LucasArts might be interested in offering gamers new releases in the classic X-Wing series. G4 is reporting on an interview conducted with Daniel Rodriguez, the president of the company, who, when asked about TIE Fighter and X-Wing, only said that “We don't have any announcements now, but stay tuned. We will soon.”
Of course, it makes no sense to ask gamers to stay tuned if you are not planning to get some sort of announcement out, so Rodriguez pretty much guaranteed that LucasArts would be bringing both space simulation franchises back to life in some way or another. The problem is that it's not clear how TIE Fighter and X-Wing could be offered to gamers.
LucasArts has begun offering its impressive collection of classic adventures on Steam and it might also opt to bring back the old games to life and offer them to gamers, unmodified, on a reduced price. There's also the option of seeing the company keep the framework of the games while introducing fresh graphics and control options, which are pretty crucial for simulation titles, with their myriad of options and reliance on seeing what you are doing.
There's also the option of actually taking the franchises and create truly new experiences, offering fresh stories, missions, another game engine. Of course, LucasArts could opt to do all of the above in time, squeezing as much money as possible from the fans of the two series.
As The Force Unleashed has proved Star Wars can still be big business when it comes to videogames so it makes sense to bring back X-Wing and TIE Fighter. The problem is that both games are flight sims, complicated to play and representatives of a genre that has not seen mainstream success for quite some time.