Star Wars game. Such an announcement marks the first time in eight years that publisher Electronic Arts hasn't been attached to a Star Wars-related video game property.
Since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm nearly a decade ago in 2012, EA has had access to exclusive Star Wars games rights. That partnership resulted in the release of several top-selling products, including 2015's Star Wars Battlefront reboot, Star Wars Battlefront II, and the highly acclaimed cancelled Star Wars projects under EA's stewardship. Evidently, times are changing.
The newly-rebranded Lucasfilm Games is partnering with French Publisher Ubisoft. In this deal, The Division creator Massive Entertainment will helm development on an open-world Star Wars title. The director behind The Division 2 and The Crew, Julian Gerighty, is on board to serve as the new game's Creative Director. And, according to a report from Wired, Massive's Snowdrop Engine will power the project. Speaking to the publication, Sean Shoptaw, SVP of Global Games and Interactive Experiences at Disney, explained why EA isn't involved this time around. “EA has been and will continue to be a very strategic and important partner for us now and going forward. But we did feel like there's room for others.”
Disney isn't just opening its doors for the world of Star Wars, either. This interest in further expanding its video game output recently culminated in the announcement of an Indiana Jones project from Bethesda's MachineGames. It seems Disney is spreading its wings far and wide, so it should be interesting to see what else the company may have in store long-term.
Of course, these projects are most certainly years out from release. And who knows exactly when Massive Entertainment's Star Wars game will enter full production? In addition to one team juggling ongoing content for The Division 2, Massive has spent the last few years toiling away on another licensed product - an Avatar game is still in the works. When more information will surface is presently anyone's guess.
Source: Wired
