EA Secures Multi-Year Deal to Develop Star Wars Games

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Richard Walker

Electronic Arts has been selected by Disney Interactive and Lucasfilm Ltd. to develop future Star Wars games following the closure of LucasArts earlier last month.

This sees EA entering into a multi-year, multi-title agreement that will incorporate studios like DICE, Visceral and BioWare. As you'll well know, the latter developed Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, so is no stranger to the Star Wars license.

EA studios will be responsible for developing 'core' Star Wars experiences, while Disney Interactive will handle Star Wars titles for casual audiences.

"Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe," said EA Labels President, Frank Gibeau. "Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay."

Star Wars titles in development will be announced "in the coming months."

[Via StarWars.com | Thanks, ViperxSniper]

Comments
61
  • Wow, this is really good news.
  • oh man, Disney and EA. How many evil empire working with evil empire jokes will be made. THE SITHS HAVE TAKEN OVER....lmao
  • Green Lightsabre - £2.99 Duel edged sabre - £5.99 Jar Jar Binks Unlock - Priceless
  • Can only hope that one of these companies will pick up the remains of 1313.
  • LOL, what did I say some weeks ago: Sooner or later we'll read about EA acquiring new franchises ^^ Didn't expect it so soon. Personally, I wouldn't want to work in this constellation - Disney's and EA both have a habit of closing studios after production. Unless they will employ lot of nerds, I doubt the games will be huge successes - how much can you expect from someone who fears getting fired right after the project.
  • Any guesses on how EA is going to massively screw the games as well as the gamers?
  • @6 - Don't worry, they always find a way!
  • Oh fuck me, yearly star wars films now undoubtedly coupled with yearly star wars games...its officially dead to me..id say rest in piece my beloved franchise but no, corporate madness insits on milking you beyond embarrassment
  • At least the tradition of crap Star Wars games will live on then.
  • Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! /Vader
  • noooo thats not true! thats impossible!
  • Nice to see Richard was able to find a suitable pic to represent EA and Disney in the minds of gamers right now xD On a serious note though, I think we all saw this coming a mile off. Considering EA's recent gaming history, expect to see cut content charged as day 1 DLC, and an all-round milking of every damn penny they can make from the next title(s) I for one, however, will not be getting the next star wars game new on release. I may pick it up later down the line pre-owned - if only to help keep my local game dealer in business. I'd rather trust them with my cash than EA.
  • From bad to worse.
  • Great, now Star Wars will have online passes, mirco-transactions, and bad endings nobody likes -_-
  • Screwed are we.
  • @#14 - You forgot to mention mandatory lame MP. Actually, it's EA. So the MP will be mandatory, and the SP will probably play like a tacked on afterthought.
  • Outta the frying pan and into the fire...
  • @Richard Walker what does this mean for 1313? That's all I care about.
  • Noooooo!!!!!! Damn you corporate!
  • Would love a Shadows of the Empire 2!
  • EA is no doubt one of the worst game publishers of all time aside from making Dead Space of course. EA games are always laggy and buggy; again, aside from Dead Space. I hate EA for many reasons: 1. For shutting down Madden 10 Online, needed 1 more online trophie, 2. For making Medal of Honor PS3 so bad including the online experience of it is so terrible. YOU DIE IN LIKE 2 BULLETS IN THE ONLINE.
  • Well.... at least it's not Capcom :)
  • Nobody's holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy the new games. Stop bitching and grow the fuck up, everyone.
  • Star Wars is already at rock bottom this gen IMO, but this certainly wont help pull them out of the muck. Lets be honest though, it was going to be either EA or Activision... EA might be the worse of the two though.
  • Maybe with all the hate generated on here for EA you can make them give the license back. Try, thread posters, try your hardest. No fucking chance. Cause at the end of the day your in a vocal minority. Its happened, grow up & deal with it. If EA give it to DICE to make it a free to play version of Star Wars Battlefront as good as Planetside 2, you'll be eating your words.
  • How bout they get together to make The Old Republic sequel but this time using the new Frostbite Engine and multiplatformed. The graphics on STWOR was alright but could have done better on consoles
  • I know bioware has the old republic mmo but I hope they come back with some more knights of the old republic games and it wouldn't be a bad thing if Dice picked up making Battlefront 3
  • I think I'll be one of the few rational people here and wait to see what EA does with the franchise instead of joining the gaming jihad against EA and everyone associated with them.
  • And, that's the final nail in the coffin... unless EA gets smart (long shot, I know) and gets BioWare to do more with the franchise, then I'd be all in. Especially if it means another KoTOR or even an MMO. I WILL miss the Unleashed games, though. They were a guilty pleasure.
  • @24 no activision would be the worse, everybody bags on EA but activision resells the same game with an updated look every year for the most part.
  • This gives a whole new meaning to the saying "from bad to worse" its like sticking an extra 50 tonne of weight to the Titanic, it was always gonna end up at the bottom of the sea, adding the 50 tonne will only make it sink that little bit quicker.
  • @31 EA does the exact same thing with FIFA, but that's even worse... and BF4 doesn't look much different from the 3rd. At least Activision doesn't tak on always online or online passes to their games. Looks like I wont be buying this. Stopped supporting EA after they ruined Command & Conquer.
  • Well that sucks...
  • I just want a KOTOR that's not an MMO
  • My forecast is that there will be a lot of milking with the Star Wars franchise when it comes out.
  • A lot of you guys seem to think this hella worse than the previous situation, but at least now games like 1313 and Battlefront 3 could be made. I would rather have EA making most Star Wars games than Disney making all of them.
  • Anything that gives me more content, whether it be games or movies, from the Star Wars Universe is welcome news. People are always going to complain, that's primarily what the internet is for most people - a place to rant and abuse people without consequence. That said, the games and movies might suck balls, but they might be awesome. We won't know until we get to see one of them. So, until a movie or game is released under Disney or EA, I will reserve judgement.
  • The studios mentioned are all pretty neat. EA has some great games under its wings; it's just that they're an overbearing mother hen with annoying business-principles. I'd love to boycott EA like a lot of you [say that you do], but it's not happening at the moment.
  • No one excited about a star wars game done like battlefield 4 in a ps4 graphics? Hell, for that I sure don't mind paying a online pass (even thou I would by it new so no problems) or having a bad single player mode...
  • EA, the worst company in the States (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist_n_3052000.html), will definitely destroy those games. EA + Disney = RIP Star Wars
  • Well, since Battlefront is essentially a third-person, Star Wars version of Battlefield, things are looking up for Battlefront 3 is making it, but they better have it in third person, or at least an option to switch between the two (I think that option was available in the first two games anyway), and if BioWare can make another KOTOR that's single player and just as good as (or hopefully better than) the first KOTOR, then I have a bit higher hopes for this deal. However, I'm going to wait and see how this pans out before forming my opinion...
  • thats the darkest of the darkside.
  • With EA picking up the franchise that means where finally close to seeing The Old Rebublic on consoles. *fingers crossed*
  • Disney and EA the biggest money crabbing whores now married together!
  • @ 1 : Not sure if serious...
  • So where will the Lego Star Wars games fit into this? The Lego adaptations are the most fun SW games (bashing Jar Jar until his head pops off never gets boring). Hoping they are licensed by Lego so we can see future movie tie-ins but if its Disney now licensing then may not be any more
  • While I still flaws everywhere, EA is better suited to develop the games than disney is AND at least we do still get more star wars games instead of nothing now.
  • @20 Yeah, but I don't see how it would work unless it's a prequel... Since Dash did die during the skyhook battle...
  • EA taking over the Star Wars games is equally as good as a monkey flinging poop and it landing in your face.
  • Say goodbye to Online, because not paying for online passes. But EA can make good games and graphics are good. At least Star Wars franchise is safed for now.
  • Here's to EA RUINING another franchise...
  • I haven't bought a new EA game in over 5 years, and sure as hell don't plan on starting since they got one of my favorite gaming franchises.
  • Here comes KOTOR3, fps,online pass, tacked on multiplayer, day one DLC, cut companions that cost £8 day one with 15 minute missions and 2 exta costumes that do nothing at all.
  • so you bitch when you don't get a star wars game and you bitch when you do?
  • Battlefront III please Ubisoft forces online passes on everyone but nobody complains about that lol
  • kinda sucks... I dont buy any EA sports games cuz if everyone stop buying Madden 40003 pretty sure ea would go bankrupt but nope for some reason these stupid ppl insist that this years football game will be better then last years.. oh well.. EA does have some good games that they only pay not make.. like Burnout.. Dead Space 1-2.. Mass Effect.. so we shall see..
  • EA get their grubby little hands on everything. That's the main problem... Its like the worst anti-climax ever. Coming soon: Written By Hideo Kojima *SWEET* Developed By Bethesda *AWESOME* Developed With Cry Engine 3 *HOLY CRAP THIS GAME IS GONNA ROCK* Produced By EA *OH FUCK!....I'M OUT*
  • Guys, guys. It's just a name. DICE and BioWare are two of the best devs out there, and Visceral certainly aren't bad either. Sure, EA might force DLC on them or require some asinine season pass, but it's still DICE and BioWare.
  • "I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
  • EA will never die.
  • Star Wars: Battlefront III, anyone? ~ Rafdog89
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