Star Wars fans a more grounded and granular look at the galaxy than has arguably ever been put to screen, proving - among other things - that the canceled Project Ragtag had incredible potential. Just as Andor highlights the more illicit side of the Rebellion, the now-defunct Project Ragtag from Visceral Games would have put players in the shoes of a crew of scoundrels pulling off heists. While some may be drawn to Star Wars solely for lightsaber-swinging Force s, Andor illustrates just how engaging Project Ragtag could have been.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Andor.Although it's a major departure from Star Wars' typical tone, Andor's nature as a spy thriller is remarkably executed. Project Ragtag would have actually been well suited to match Andor's dramatic, pulpy pacing, thanks to the woman at the helm: Amy Hennig, the creator of Uncharted. The roguish archetypes that Star Wars fans have come to know and love in characters like Han Solo would be a near-perfect match for Uncharted's creative DNA, especially with a proven writer such as Amy Hennig leading the charge. Unfortunately, EA canned this Star Wars game and lost Hennig, putting the final nail in the coffin for Project Ragtag's turbulent development and seemingly abandoning its promising premise.
Project Ragtag Could've Brought Andor's Grit To Star Wars Games
While it was originally conceived as an open-world title, Project Ragtag grew into a more linear narrative focusing on a heist crew, which creates an even more direct parallel to Andor. In the series, Cassian Andor is hired to a small team of Rebels in robbing an Imperial garrison. This setup bears a stark resemblance to the supposed gameplay of Star Wars' Project Ragtag, and if Andor's execution is any indication, a video game equivalent would have players on the edge of their seats. The game could've had Star Wars' best heist, enhanced by not only letting players experience it firsthand but by shifting their perspective throughout the heist to give them agency in every step of the plan.
Beyond Project Ragtag's potential for innovative heists, just the notion of focusing a story around non-Force sensitive characters is somewhat novel for the franchise's on-screen adaptations. Andor shows that even when characters don't have lightsabers or Force powers, their stories can have amazing climaxes and high stakes. In fact, removing those elements also takes away a sort of safety net around the characters, making the action more intense as superhuman feats are taken off the table. There are some great Star Wars games that don't star Jedi, but they're few and far between. If Project Ragtag hadn't been canceled, it may have ushered in a new, more diverse era of Star Wars games.
Luckily, there is still a chance for an incarnation of Project Ragtag to see the light of day. Amy Hennig's new studio, Skydance New Media, was revealed to be working with Lucasfilm on a new game set in the Star Wars universe earlier this year. Given Hennig's previous connection to Project Ragtag, many have speculated that the project may be a revival of the game in some form. This may be wishful thinking, but now would be the perfect time for Star Wars to un-cancel Amy Hennig's game.
The pacing of Andor's slow burn may not be for everyone, but its bombastic highs, gorgeous production design, and tight writing may cement it as a modern staple of the Star Wars franchise. In this era of grittier Star Wars stories with series like Andor, The Mandalorian, and the Skeleton Crew, a game like Project Ragtag couldn't be more appropriate. Only time will tell whether Star Wars' collaboration with Skydance will bring the best parts of Andor to a new, refreshing kind of game.
