Disney surprised everyone this week when it announced the opening of Lucasfilm Games, a developer dedicated to developing games based on the legendary studio now an integral part of the American giant. The first production was announced this week, in a partnership with Bethesda for the development of a new game based on the Indiana Jones universe.
Today, Lucasfilm Games announces yet another of its projects that should have an impact not only on fans, but also on the industry. The company started to develop a new open world game established in the Star Wars universe in partnership with Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft studio responsible for The Division 2. There are still no details about the title, which seems to be very early in its production. , with the studios leaving in search of new developers.
In addition to being a long-awaited novelty, the news marks the end of the term of exclusivity that Disney and EA had for years to develop games in the Star Wars universe. Apparently, the move is the result of cancellations, the controversy with microtransactions in Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the poor reception of many of the titles, with the exception of the most recent Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars: Squadrons.
In an interview with Wired, Disney’s senior vice president, Sean Shoptaw, said EA will still remain a “very strategic and important partner”, but was not afraid to express the company’s desire to expand the reach of the legendary franchise space. “We felt that there was room for others,” he concluded.
As Engagdet recalls, the movement is well calculated and brings great benefits to Disney. In addition to increasing the number of major games based on Star Wars, the entry of other producers such as Ubisoft reduces the chances of games affecting the image of the franchise, which has been gaining great prominence thanks to productions like “The Mandalorian”.
