Gaming blog Kotaku is reporting that the mysterious video game Star Wars: First Assault -- which has been bouncing around the Internet for half a year now -- may be more than just a game; it may also be a sign of things to come from LucasArts. More specifically, Kotaku's Jason Schreier writes that the game will serve as a proof of concept for the eagerly-awaited, much-discussed, canceled-then-delayed-then-canceled, please-just-give-it-to-us Star Wars: Battlefront III.
Today, Kotaku can reveal that Star Wars: First Assault is a downloadable multiplayer shooter that was originally slated for release this spring. The game supports up to 16 players -- one eight-person team of rebels and one eight-person team of Stormtroopers -- as they face off on Star Wars worlds like Bespin and Tatooine.
And according to one person familiar with the project, First Assault is "step zero" to the heavily-rumored, highly-anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront III. If First Assault sells well -- assuming it is released at all -- the third Battlefront could be next.
Head over to Kotaku for the full report. They've got a recap of First Assault's development history and some screenshots. This game looks incredible.
UPDATE: Kotaku has shared a couple more First Assault screenshots here.