Star Wars games are having an unusually strong year. In just a few months, two releases have explored corners of the franchise that games have rarely handled with this much confidence: Star Wars: Zero Company brings squad tactics and a Clone Wars-era story from veterans of XCOM, while Star Wars: Galactic Racer applies the experience of Burnout developers to a fast, characterful racing game.
Critics have responded warmly to both titles, with Galactic Racer attracting particular praise for its fresh approach. Their timing also makes them eligible for consideration at The Game Awards in December. That creates a genuine opportunity, although a Game of the Year nomination remains a difficult target.
Why licensed games face an uphill battle
Major awards have often treated licensed games with caution. There is some history behind that attitude: for much of gaming’s past, many games based on films and other properties were poor-quality tie-ins. Even so, awards juries can appear reluctant to celebrate games built on an existing universe, perhaps because the medium places such value on originality.
Earlier awards ceremonies often handled licensed releases by placing them in dedicated categories. At the Spike Video Game Awards, Star Wars titles were frequently limited to Best Game Based on a Movie. Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy won that award in 2006.
The dedicated category has since disappeared, but licensed games are still commonly channelled into genre awards rather than broader craft categories or Game of the Year. Insomniac’s Spider-Man games are a notable exception. During The Game Awards era, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order received a Player’s Voice nomination in 2019. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor earned Action/Adventure and performance nominations in 2023, while Star Wars Outlaws followed with a similar level of recognition the next year.
A stronger Star Wars field than usual
The contrast with 2003 is striking. At the first Spike VGAs, both Star Wars Galaxies and Knights of the Old Republic were nominated for Game of the Year, and Rogue Squadron 3 also received recognition.
Taken together, Zero Company and Galactic Racer represent the strongest Star Wars awards field since then. Both have critical support, and a comparatively open year could improve their chances in the major categories. Readers interested in the wider arcade and gaming news can follow more industry coverage from RETROCADE.
Genre may be the bigger obstacle
The main barrier may not be the licence itself. Strategy and racing games have historically struggled to reach the Game of the Year shortlist, and they are less likely to appear in general craft categories than role-playing and action-adventure games.
Zero Company should be in contention for Best Sim/Strategy Game, where it faces Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Galactic Racer is expected to compete for Best Sports/Racing Game against Forza Horizon 6. The Star Wars racer may have the advantage there: while Forza Horizon 6 is considered excellent, its established formula could be less distinctive than the newer game’s inventive take.
Could either game reach the top awards?
A Game of the Year nomination is still a long shot. Zero Company could become a dark horse as players complete its campaign, respond to its major story moments and explore the way it expands an underused part of Star Wars lore. However, it is competing for only a small number of places in a crowded field, while its strategy format remains a disadvantage.
More attainable breakthroughs would still be significant. Zero Company could be recognised for Best Narrative, while Galactic Racer could make a case for Best Game Direction or Best Audio Design. Either result would give Star Wars games some long-overdue attention beyond their usual genre categories.
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