At a recent press event held by LucasArts, producer Haden Blackman disclosed new details on the current state of Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, as well as new information about future additions to the game. As Blackman mentioned, players have already discovered how to unlock a "force-sensitive" character slot--a character that may eventually become a jedi--by collecting holocrons, special items derived from quests that give clues about what tasks they must perform in order to advance in their quest.

Blackman reaffirmed that the development team fully intends to continue supporting the game with monthly story-related events and content additions, such as "the warren," a recently released dungeon area that characters of all affiliations (rebels, imperials, and neutral characters) can explore. Blackman explained that the team will also continue to develop the game by adding new "theme parks"--a phrase that the team uses to describe hub areas full of important non-player characters that give out information and quests. The next theme park scheduled for release will be Nym's fortress--an area controlled by the protagonist of LucasArts' Nintendo 64 shooter Star Wars: Starfighter. Blackman also mentioned that the team is currently working on two new major content additions: playable dark jedi characters, who can explore the dark side of the Force, and player mounts, such as dewbacks and kadu, which can be ridden for additional travel speed. These two additions are scheduled for release in the game by year's end, and the next major addition to the game, player vehicles, should, according to Blackman, "follow shortly thereafter." When asked about the status of possible console versions of Star Wars Galaxies, Blackman stated that console versions of the game are not currently in development, but "haven't been ruled out" yet.

Star Wars Galaxies was released in June 2003. For more information on the game, consult our previous coverage.

Head on over to Gamespot and check out some screen shots.