Ever since 2013, EA had retained exclusive publishing rights for theStar Warslicense in games. After the shuttering of LucasArts, a result of the Disney-Lucasfilm acquisition, EA had signed a deal with Disney to be the sole producer ofStar Warsgames. In retrospect, this deal ended up being contentious because of the controversial releases under the EA-Star Warssaga. And yet, even in the wake of controversial games likeStar Wars BattlefrontandBattlefront 2, EA also produced excellent titles likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars: Squadrons. Now, with the reforming of Lucasfilm Games, EA is no longer the sole provider ofStar Warsgames.
That’s not to say EA has been blacklisted fromStar Wars, in fact it’s the exact opposite. There are still several EAStar Warsgames still in development, but the reforming of Lucasfilm Games means theStar Warsbrand will expand beyond EA’s development studios for games. Already, Ubisoft Massive has announced a new open worldStar Warsgame in development, showing that the Lucasfilm Games brand intends to diversify the franchise’s gaming lineup for the future. Reforming Lucasfilm Games as a brand opens up the potential for a ton of different opportunities forStar Warsgames, whether it’s diving back into LucasArts IPs, or completely new projects.
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Free From EA’s Exclusivity, More Diversity is Coming to Star Wars' Games
Even from an objective perspective, bringing back Lucasfilm Games as a licensed brand is only going to be good forStar Warsgames. Regardless of what fans think of the EA-publishedStar Warsgames, giving more development studios and creatives the potential to make otherStar Warsgames adds more gameplay diversity. That much is already evidenced by the new “story-driven” open world game coming from Ubisoft, a publisher well-versed in successful open world games at this point. Being developed by theteam behindThe Division, Ubisoft’s efforts in theStar Warsuniverseare just one example of how theStar Warsbrand in games will expand outside of just EA.
A breath of fresh air is exactly what theStar Warsfranchise needs in games, especially after being exclusive to EA for so long. With the rollercoaster of releases of EA, even if recent games from the publisher’s exclusivity contract have been much better, allowing more studios to work onStar Warsis better for both parties. Not only will other studios be able to provide unique takes onStar Wars, but thepressure will be on even harder for EA’sStar Warsgamesto distinguish themselves. BothStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars: Squadronssaw great praise, at least compared toBattlefront 2, but the competition among other publishers may apply more pressure on EA.
Lucasfilm Games' Return Potentially Means LucasArts' Return
Aside from a variety of new experiences that will come from the Lucasfilm Games brand, the revival also means some old friends could return as well. Bringing back Lucasfilm Games could also potentially revive any of the former LucasArts IPs that were released almost a decade ago. The LucasArts umbrella of published games holds a treasure trove of classicStar Warsgames in all forms, whether they were adventures of the Jedi, bounty hunters across the galaxy, and everything in between.Knights of the Old Republic,The Force Unleashed,Jedi Outcast,Republic Commando, and various other IPs from theStar Warsvideo game universe could come back.
Whether it’s official sequels, spin-offs, or spiritual sequels,there’s a ton of LucasArtsStar WarsIPsthat have been long-dormant since the company was shuttered. Imagine a scenario where Naughty Dog developed a newJedi Knightentry, or if Valve developed a newRepublic Commandoco-op shooter. The LucasArts IPs in theStar Warsuniverse are plentiful, some of which are still just as timeless today as they were when they released. Seeing different interpretations or perspectives from some of the biggest/most notable game development studios is also a big component of the reforming of Lucasfilm Games.
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The Future is Bright For More Star Wars Games
The potential variety of games that could potentially stem from this new brand reformation will undoubtedly spawn plenty of theory crafting. Undoubtedly, fans on Reddit and opinion pieces from media/internet personalities will posit which developers should design which types of games. There’s existing LucasArts IPs lost to time that could certainly be revived,along with many of the cancelledStar Warsgames from EAthat could maybe see new life from other studios. While it will likely be a while before any potential new IPs or games come to light from Lucasfilm Games' return, the future is certainly bright forStar Wars.
Overall, the biggest takeaway forStar Warsand Lucasfilm Games specifically is the greater variety of games that will inevitably come in the future. EA’s bread-and-butter for game development, at least in recent history, has been live-service experiences. It’s why some of the first games to come out of the EA-Disney exclusivity deal were theBattlefrontgames, especially with EA’s legacy in publishing theBattlefieldgames. EA took a chance withStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars: Squadrons, thougharguably it was too late for EA before itsStar Warsexclusivity deal lapsed. Now, other studios and publishers will reinvent new stories in theStar Warsuniverse.
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