GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Game Narrative Summit : Labor of Love: The Story of "Date Night" in 'Star Wars: The Old Republic'
Ashley Ruhl (Narrative Director, Broadsword Online Games)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Game Narrative
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
Since its launch in 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) continues to deliver high quality narrative content to players, with regular updates that include cinematic storytelling and new game features. The game offers many role play opportunities for players within the Star Wars galaxy, including romance with player companions. Narrative Director Ashley Ruhl discusses a new feature in SWTOR called Date Night, which exists largely because of unrelenting enthusiasm from both developers and players for a thing like this to exist. Ashley details the gifts and pitfalls of getting a passion-project into your game, and how Date Night's path from internal game jam to live feature was truly a labor of love.
Takeaway
Attendees will gain insight into the value of internal game jams to spark inspiration on their teams, as well as the potential challenges for passion-fueled projects. In addition, attendees will be given examples of systemic romance content, and how it can tap into a very engaged player base.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this talk is anyone passionate about romance in games, as well as teams looking to invigorate their projects with developer-driven ideas.
