The player takes on the role of Brenn Tantor, an Imperial commander who later defects to the Rebel Alliance. The game's action runs from immediately before the Battle of Yavin through the Battle of Coruscant. Some reviewers were excited by the game's story and original gameplay elements, while others cited the game's graphics and camera usage as its main problems. Upon release, Force Commander received a mixed critical and fan reception. As the first Star Wars entry into the then-flooded RTS market, fans eagerly anticipated Force Commander. The game was jointly developed by both companies, using Ronin's engine and programmers, partnered with LucasArts' project leadership, designers, and artists.

Originally conceived as a 2-D strategy game, LucasArts scrapped the overall design after its first public viewing at the 1998 Electronic Gaming Expo.ĭeciding to pursue a 3-D version, LucasArts licensed a game engine from Ronin Entertainment and recreated the game from scratch.