EA is set to continue its existing relationship with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, with the new vice president of the company confirming that the publisher is still working on a number of upcoming Star Wars titles despite the announcement Ubisoft Massive's upcoming licensed franchise game. EA acquired exclusive rights to the film franchise back in 2021 after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and has been in charge of video game adaptations based on the series since then. However, it recently emerged that Ubisoft is now also working on an open-world Star Wars game, but that evidently has had no impact on EA's lucrative deal.
The company has since produced a number of Star Wars games, although has faced criticism over its stewardship of the series after a series of missteps. Titles such as Battlefront and its sequel created controversy over the inclusion of loot boxes, while several canceled projects have also angered fans. One of these included a highly-anticipated title being led by Uncharted creator Amy Hennig.
EA and Disney will still work together to produce future Star Wars games, as the publisher has not lost its exclusive rights to the license. These new partnerships will therefore not affect projects that are already in development. At least, that's according to Douglas Reilly, VP of Lucasfilm Games. Speaking on the official Star Wars site, the executive confirmed that - despite the fact that Disney is now also partnering with other publishers and developers - the company is continuing its relationship with EA in the future. "We’re really proud of the games we have created with EA," Reilly said. "We will continue working with them and our relationship has never been stronger." Reilly went on to say that Lucasfilm Games currently has "a number of projects underway with the talented teams at EA."
Ubisoft announced earlier today that it is working on a brand new open-world Star Wars game. Developer Massive Entertainment, which has previously worked on The Division, will lead work on the project according to the French publisher. The news comes on the back of an announcement that Bethesda is working on an Indiana Jones title and is the second major reveal since Lucasfilm Games was rebranded this week.
Considering the mixed reception to EA's Star Wars games (and the publisher's overall low output of them until recently), it should come as little surprise that Disney and Lucasfilm Games are exploring other options with different publishers while still honoring its existing contract. While EA has certainly had some success, most notably with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it will probably be good news for gamers that a more diverse range of developers may be working on games based on the hit sci-fi franchise in the future.
Source: Star Wars
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January 14, 2021 at 08:38AM
