Just weeks after Disney revealed it would be shutting down LucasArts – Electronic Arts (commonly known as EA Games) has announced a multi-year deal to publish future Star Wars games.
The future of the Star Wars gaming universe looked to be in jeopardy when the Walt Disney Company announced it would be getting rid of veteran games publisher and development co. LucasArts along with its entire staff following the $4.5 billion buyout of the Star Wars franchise and LucasFilms licenses back in October 2012.
Disney’s plan for Star Wars games was left hanging and promising upcoming titles set in the much-loved ‘Galaxy Far, Far Away’ such as Star Wars 1313 and Battlefront 3 looked set to never see the light of day.
The news of this publishing partnership between EA and Disney is being received with mixed feelings by Force fans that were upset with the axing of LucasArts last month after the in house company had handled the Star Wars games and other cult franchises such as Monkey Island for over 30 years.
But Disney puts our minds at rest, with Co-President John Pleasants stating “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come. Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to our fans around the world.”
Your Gadget Helpline team were amongst those surprised and shocked by the loss of LucasArts but don’t feel that this new union is a bad one, overall.
We need only look at the development allies of Electronic Arts, which include titans such as Mass Effect producer Bioware and Visceral, the team behind the Dead Space series, and BattleField devs DICE. All three are names attached to resurrecting Star Wars: Battlefront 3 and co-incidentally over an hour of gameplay footage from the work-in-progress has emerged online through web source EuroGamer. The footage shows the player taking control of Stormtroopers, Rebels and even Darth Vader and Jedi Master Yoda can be used in the ground and spacefaring action!
It seems the Force, in the realm of gaming, will continue to be with us for a while longer.