- Star Wars: Galactic Racer lets players pilot vehicles as iconic characters from the movie series like Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros
- Lucasfilm Games executive producer Craig Derrick says “it’s important to have some returning characters”
- Creative director Kieran Crimmins would “absolutely love” to see players try and emulate Sebulba’s iconic podracing stance by playing with their feet
The upcoming arcade racing game Star Wars: Galactic Racer finally lets every Star Wars fan live out their ultimate fantasy: piloting a pod racer as legendary The Phantom Menace character Sebulba.
In just a few hours of hands-on at a recent preview event, I spotted the now grey-haired alien in both the game’s Scenario mode and its intense online player-versus-player battles, where he appears alongside other movie favorites including the only marginally less iconic Ben Quadinaros. There are also plenty of newcomers, like the story mode protagonist Shade or their unapologetically Scouse-sounding companion Hibi.
“I think it’s important to have some returning characters if they’re important, if they’re meaningful,” explains Lucasfilm Games executive producer Craig Derrick. “I don’t think we want to move to cameos for the sake of cameos; it feels cheap. But in the case of Sebulba and some of the other characters you may meet in this game, they actually have a real point and real presence in the story.
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“It drives that story forward in a way that feels not only connected to the larger film franchise in the way that you’ve seen those characters before, but they actually have a real point. They have a real reason for being there, and so the fans get that instant flush of familiarity.”
Although his presence in the game seems to follow his “mischievous” characterization in the film, Derrick teases that there might be some surprises in store for fans that play with their expectations.
“His mischievousness is [a huge part of his character]. It’s an immediate read,” he explains. “
“I hope our players come in and know the character before maybe the characters in our game do. Maybe some of his reputation precedes him a little bit in this, and then we get to play with that. We get to play with it both in terms of like ‘how do we lean into what you already know?’ and ‘how do you subvert it?’ Maybe the character changes his stripes a little bit… Or not.”
Personality aside, one of the most memorable aspects of Sebulba is his unique pod racing position that involves piloting his craft with his feet. Asked whether players should try and emulate this for the most authentic experience, Kieran Crimmins, creative director at Galactic Racer developer Fuse Games, appears eager to see it tried.
“I think if they’re not controlling it with their feet, then are they really playing the game properly?” he asks. “I would absolutely love to see someone try and do that. […] Please send me the footage.”
If you fancy getting your grippers out and giving it a go, Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 6, 2026.
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
