Back in 2011, plans for another Star Wars title had emerged to the general public eliciting excitement from fans as they had been promised the opportunity to play as one of the series’ most iconic villains: Darth Maul.

The short-lived plans for this third-person action title from Red Fly Studio held a lot of hype behind it and a year’s worth of production completed before EA put the kebash on the title shortly after Disney acquired LucasArts. Even still, there had been quite a bit of work put into the game before it was cancelled indefinitely, including a whole gallery of concept art that gives us a closer look at the would-be characters that will never see the light of day. Recently, one of the artists behind the concept art of the title stepped forward and uploaded said gallery, showing off the beginning stages of the doomed game’s creation. Thanks to his Artstation account, artist Thomas Szakolczay brings us these exclusive images, showing off what could have been if the title had been completed.

Back in 2011, I was fortunate enough to work with Lucas Arts and Redfly Studios to help develop the look direction for a new Star Wars IP that centered around Darth Maul. It took place in a future time line sometime after Return of the Jedi and was meant to have a darker, grittier tone. Unfortunately the project was conceived around the same time as the Disney acquisition. it was cancelled after 1 year of development. Definitely dream of getting the opportunity to work on another Star Wars related project, so much fun! ~Thomas Szakolczay

Unfortunately, despite growing fan interest in the title, and Redfly Studios expressing their desire to resurrect it, the game will not be completed. That being said, it’s kind of nice to look back on this would-be gritty experience, and see exactly how cool the playable characters would have been. You can even see some footage from the incomplete game below:

https://youtu.be/Q0SKu3s3Pxw

While it is unfortunate that we won’t be seeing this title come to light in the future, there is still the opportunity to see Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels or sling some lightsabers with frequent updates and freebies in Star Wars Battlefront. But just imagine, for a brief moment… what could have been, if we’d had the chance to play as the villain this time around, fighting against the rebels for the sake of the Empire and learning what it could have taken to turn a character so evil?

So what do you think of the above concept art? Do you think Darth Maul would have made a great main character in an action title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and game on!