Watch the thrilling trailer for Star Wars: Squadrons!

On Friday, Electronic Arts kicked the gaming world into hyperdrive with the surprise announcement of Star Wars: Squadrons, a new game that’ll put you in the cockpit of a Rebel Starfighter and Imperial TIE Fighter both. Now, the trailer has arrived, and it does not disappoint! Check it out:

“Game Engine Footage,” the trailer tells us. That’s not the same thing as actual gameplay — the game won’t actually look like this in the thick of play — but right now I don’t care much about the different because ooh pretty.

Squadrons takes place after the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi, as the Rebel Alliance scours the galaxy for the remnants of the Empire. What’s exciting is the prospect of playing out both sides of the conflict. What if we play characters who eventually have to fight each other? The drama!

EA describes the game like this:

"Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience STAR WARS™: Squadrons. Buckle up, feel the adrenaline of first-person multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron, and learn what it means to be a pilot in a thrilling STAR WARS™ single-player campaign."

I suspect EA is careful to mention that this game has a “single-player campaign” because it’s come under fire over the past decade for cycling out the single-player experience in favor of more profitable multiplayer-only games, at one point even saying at one point that single-player games are “finished.” And then they release the single-play Jedi: Fallen Order and it did really well and now they’re eating their words. All’s well that ends well, I guess.

Players who pre-order Squadrons will receive some cosmetic items for your New Republic and Imperial pilot:

• New Republic Recruit Flight Suit (Epic)
• Imperial Ace Flight Suit (Epic)
• New Republic Recruit Starfighter Skins (Rare)
• Imperial Ace Starfighter Skins (Rare)
• New Republic Recruit Decal (Common)
• Imperial Ace Decal (Common)

Star Wars: Squadrons hits PC, PS4 and Xbox on October 2. You can pre-order your copy for $39.99.

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