The Star Wars name has made very few appearances in the gaming sphere. This is thanks to the exclusivity deal between Disney and Electronic Arts. But that deal is coming to an end, and the former’s Lucasfilm has announced that it will be working with Ubisoft for a new Star Wars game.
In an announcement on the Star Wars website, Lucasfilm describes the new game as a “story-driven, open-world” title. And publisher Ubisoft is assigning the task to Massive Entertainment. It’s an odd choice, considering the dev studio is known as the name behind Tom Clancy’s The Division series. Which had a mere passable story, even if the world building is a little better. For what it’s worth, the game will get to use the studio’s Snowdrop engine, which does look very pretty.
In the eight years since EA signed the deal, the publisher has released four games (two Battlefronts, Jedi Fallen Order, Squadrons) and canceled at least three (Ragtag, Orca, Viking). Don't think that's quite the decade Frank Gibeau was hoping for
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 13, 2021
As Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier points out, this means that EA will not be renewing its exclusivity deal once it ends in 2023. This is good news for both fans and the company itself. After all, so far in its 10-year exclusivity deal, it has only produced four games, and has cancelled three. The publisher will still be able to make more games for the series. And it probably will, considering the success it had with Fallen Order and Squadrons.
Hear from the team at Massive, working to create this brand new Star Wars adventure!
— Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio 🎮 (@UbiMassive) January 13, 2021
This still means that Ubisoft’s Star Wars game will only be out in 2023 at its earliest. The game will also fall under the new Lucasfilm Games banner, which will also serve as the umbrella over all of the company’s IPs.
A new Indiana Jones game with an original story is being developed by the award-winning studio, @MachineGames, and executive produced by game industry icon Todd Howard of Bethesda Games Studios. Learn more at https://t.co/cfr49ZN4ei. https://t.co/iUpMVlnC1O
— Lucasfilm Games (@LucasfilmGames) January 12, 2021
This includes a new Indiana Jones game that will be made by Bethesda’s Machine Games. It’s the studio behind the new age Wolfenstein series starting from The New Order. This also means it’s the studio responsible for Young Blood, so there’s that. Bethesda’s Todd Howard will also serve as an executive producer.
But Lucasfilm Games is good news all around. We can once again have a chance to see what other companies can do with the Star Wars name. And Indiana Jones will finally be getting another game after what feels like a decade. And its best game, The Fate of Atlantis, is nearly three decades old.
(Source: Lucasfilm Games)
