Disney and EA sign exclusive multi-year agreement
After The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of LucasArts last year, the development house as we knew it was effectively closed. Disney moved the studio into a licensing model, “minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games.” That quote is worth bringing up again in light of today’s news that Disney and Electronic Arts have reached a multi-year agreement to develop and publish new titles based on the long-running franchise. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans,” said EA Labels president Frank Gibeau. “DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”
On the one hand, I’m so glad to hear that more Star Wars games are being made. On the other, this could go either way for me. Scary to think about, but exciting, at the same time. What are you hoping will come from this arrangement? Interesting mix of developers EA has here.