E3 is beginning next week and already some big game announcements are being made. Game companies are releasing collector edition pre-orders and bawdy trailers at hyperspeed. Speaking of hyperspeed, LucasArts made what could be the biggest pre-E3 announcement yet. The company has officially announced Star Wars 1313, a new Star Wars video game franchise that will officially debut at E3 next week.

Details about the game are sparse, though GameTrailers.tv was able to interview developers at LucasArts’ San Francisco studio about what players can expect. Players will take on the role of a bounty hunter in “the most dangerous place in the galaxy, 1313.” According to LucasArts, 1313 is located somewhere below the surface of the planet Coruscant. The way the developers talk about it, 1313 is a very dark place filled with crime and gangs. It will be interesting to see whether LucasArts will really make a Star Wars game as mature as they are intimating.

As for the gameplay, 1313 is a third-person “cinematic” action adventure game. The bounty hunter main character (whose identity is being kept secret, for now) will use an “arsenal of exotic weaponry” to track bounties and uncover a criminal conspiracy. LucasArts states that the game will feature “epic” set pieces and fast-paced combat. Also, the player will have little connection to the force, meaning players will be using bounty hunter gadgets rather than sorcery. A visual effects supervisor at LucasArts stated that the developers are trying to unify cut-scenes and gameplay, meaning from a player’s perspective there should be no difference between the two.

“We’re excited to share one of the projects LucasArts has been hard at work developing,” said Paul Meegan, President of LucasArts. “Star Wars 1313 dives into a part of the Star Wars mythos that we’ve always known existed, but never had a chance to visit. We are committed to bringing the best gameplay experience and visual fidelity to life and I truly believe the work we are showcasing at E3 will speak for itself.”

From the look and feel of Star Wars 1313, as well as the bounty hunter protagonist, I’m thinking the game might be something similar to Shadows of the Empire. Could the game be a sequel or prequel to that classic Nintendo 64 game? Could Dash Rendar be the mysterious figure in the picture above? We will have to wait until E3 next week to find out. In the meantime, the first segment of the GameTrailers video below will fill you in on everything there is to know about the game so far.

(via GameTrailers.tv)