EA has secured an exclusive licence to publish and develop Star Wars games, the company announced today. EA studios DICE (Battlefield) and Visceral (Dead Space) will both make new games in the popular sci-fi franchise, and BioWare (Star Wars: The Old Republic) will “continue” to work on Star Wars games.
EA will handle all games for the “core gaming audience”, while Disney will continue making mobile, social, tablet and online Star Wars games.
Last month, Disney shut down LucasArts, the development studio that had been working on “core” Star Wars games, like Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault. Disney said it would license out the property to external developers and publishers.
We reported that EA had tried to make a deal to purchase LucasArts, which may have eventually led to this exclusive deal.
“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,” said Disney co-president John Pleasants in a statement. “Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to our fans around the world.”
“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” said EA Labels president Frank Gibeau in a statement. “Three of our top studios will fulfil that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. 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.”
The EA-owned BioWare is the studio behind both the online game Star Wars: The Old Republic and what many consider to be the best Star Wars game ever, the RPG Knights of the Old Republic.
Comments
93 responses to “EA Snags Exclusive Deal To Make Star Wars Games”
Well… Fuck.
and still no star wars 1313
http://i.imgur.com/IpTHX.gif
Sim Death Star? Not sure if I love that idea or hate it…
This could work! True to the movie, the game blows up due to a poorly concealed fault!!
your deathstar will need to be always online
Congrats. Tim Buckley stole your joke http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20130508
I heard a sound like a million voices all crying out….GAY.
Gay is not a synonym for shit
Yes it is, and has been for years. Aren’t there bigger issues for you to ejaculate your fury over?
Hmmm, let try that:
Let’s go to the shit bar
Roberto has always been open about being shit
We always have fun at the shit parade
I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Shit
Nope.. your lame CoD world speak has no place in the real world, you gayhead.
I feel sorry for you
Begun, the clone wars have
Oh great, the Death (star) of another franchise.
R.I.P.
When was the last great Star Wars game… KOTOR? 10 years a go. This isn’t the death of a franchise, that happened a long time ago. Only 2 things that can happen;
1. it gets better,
2. It stays average.
Lego Starwars I II and III 😛
Other than that, Starwars Battlefront 2 was more recent in 2005.
Well I guess I could be sad that this probably means no Wii U Star Wars games.
But then I get sadder because I cannot remember the last good Star Wars game.
Does this improve or impede the chances of another KOTOR game?
I think the chances are still sadly too close to zero to accurately measure.
Why?
It’s a series with a solid history and EA now owns the rights to the franchise, the developer and the old games.
The only reason I can’t see it happening right now is because Bioware is working on that “other” Sci-fi action/ RPG series and they might now want to fragment their own market (understandably).
The Dragon Age series (provided 3 isn’t shit like 2) shows at least some willingness from EA to make a more traditional Western RPG.
EA might be the world’s most evil games company but they aren’t stupid, I don’t see why they’d take a proven exclusive IP off the table permanently without a reason.
I’ve always felt KOTOR3 is already out. Only they called it TOR and tacked on terrible copy pasted multiplayer crap onto it.
EA basically own Bioware, right?
True. But with The Old Republic being seen as a failure they may avoid the setting from here on. And if, for arguments sake, a bunch of ex Bioware employees made a startup and were interested in revisiting KOTORtheres no way in hell EA are going to be friendly negotiators.
Or maybe I’m just being pessimistic. EA have taken risks in the past.
You need to remember, the tyrant up the top has now since resigned, and if anything under his leadership was what made the games feel rushed and incomplete, quite honestly developers like bw now can make proper games without being rushed
Do you really think EA’s changing of the CEO is going to change EA? The shareholders have chosen a profit before players Model. Because we’ll take any crap they give us because we’re stupid and desperate for games.
The ratio of stupid consumers is slowly changing in favour of smart so screwing people over like EA have is no longer an option for a company that wants to remain in buisness.
No. No! That’s not true! That’s impossible!
I still stand by my conviction to never touch an EA game again.
Unless it’s another Mirror’s Edge.
For me, EA goes in cycles. They saved Brutal Legend, they made Mirror’s Edge, they made Dante’s Inferno (alright, it was pretty terrible, but at least the initial pitch was a bit unusual), they published some pretty good indie games. They’re currently on my “no touching” list, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they won me over again in the future.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/c5531ab359e658ace49fb984617c17dd/tumblr_mko4jvuITS1rkffv3o1_500.gif
I dont see this as a bad thing. Dead Space 3, Battlefield 3. Both excellent games I reckon, I had heaps of fun playing them. If EA is gunna bring out star wars games then fine awesome Im with it. Just be snappy about it.
I don’t see why people have so much angst against EA. They have produced some of the most well known games out there, and now they are the only ones who will bring Star Wars games back to life. We should be thanking them. They have brought us Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Dead Space and yes Sims. All ‘very’ successful franchises. I for one am happy that we will finally get to see Star Wars 1313 and now maybe even First Assault. Thank you 🙂
I suspect the truth is closer to: EA will make its own Star Wars games. I don’t think we’ll ever see 1313 or First Assault.
If 1313 was a coverbased third person shooter with RPG elements, I can’t imagine why EA wouldn’t release it. That’s about 50% of what they do.
1. F Origin.
2. F hyper-restrictive DRM.
3. F online-only
4. F microtransactions
5. F their corporate cowardice and inability to truly innovate
If we ever did get to see those titles (highly unlikely as Shane stated) they would very likely be Always Online DRM, Micro Transaction, ridden pieces of substandard rubbish.
EA brings the worst of the worst business practices to everything they touch!
That is true @wizz-fizz, micro-transactions definately distract from the full-ness we want when we purchase a new game. ‘I need to buy these small power-ups in order to be the best’, nobody wants that. However I haven’t ever felt the need to buy everything to become all powerful. Not everyone is the same I understand, but the way EA goes about them it seems to work in their favor. EA is probably the only company profitable enough to buy such a license and bring Star Wars back to the gaming world. Sure they will try to make it their ‘own’, but like it or not they are the only ones who could do it.
I completely agree that it will be fantastic to see Star Wars come back to life for gamers, however, I do not believe that EA will do this in any way, shape or form, that will be satisfactory.
They have gone on record stating that all future EA titles will be always-on and include micro-transactions.
I could handle many things but the only reason EA demand always on, is to enforce their micro-transactions, and along with that, and proven time and again, the game is so severely dumbed down that its barely worth the time it takes to install it.
I can see EA doing damage to the Star Wars IP more than they will ever benefit it!
You make some great points, however, it’s worth considering that the time spent developing and creating Day-one DLC (ie. the microtransaction content) changes the focus of the content we actually get. The games get partially built around the idea and dev time is used up on stuff you’ll never see unless you pay extra. I’m also not just referring to conventional DLC, but the pay-to-boost strategy you alluded to.
You can avoid paying for extra content (and believe me, I usually do), but the ripple-effect of it still impacts the experience you get, compared to if it was DLC-free in the first place.
I just feel like being picky and point out that the first installation of Mass Effect and Dragon Age were out before EA took over.
Incorrect socialitegamer. They purchased some of the most well known series and have slowly been turning them into garbage.
That is entirely true thank you for correcting me @bigboss. EA is the company with the money and we all must put up with it 🙂
Has nothing to do with the developer does it? Nor does it come from a biased view whereby you think anything with EA on the package is shit… Therefore subjectively tear it to shreds.
EA hating is lame.
on the contrary I do not hate EA at all, i agree with you that too many people are biased against them. I am sure with the production values they have they can create some quality Star Wars games.
How many stories do you have to read where the Publisher (EA) unfairly uses their money to influence the direction of the Developer (Maxis) into turning their vision into the end product we see (Total SIM City fiasco that is still not 100% resolved)?
The “EA Hate” as you put it has some very solid, and very real and deserved roots in a proven track record
Ummmm…. Didn’t Maxis just put their hand up and said “We fucked up!” And didn’t Dr Z former head honcho of Bioware recently come forward and say “We made all decisions on ME and DA and TOR!”
That said most of the EA Hater tin foil hat brigade noted that it was apparently EA making them say that. Even though DrZ has no doubt banked the cheque and could happily give EA the finger from his microbrewery.
EA Hate is overblown rubbish by entitled Gen Y gamers.
LoL, I’m 35, I’m hardly “Gen Y” and I’m hardly an “Entitled Gamer” by any stretch of the imagination.
I’m also not saying that EA are to blame for any publisher admitted mistakes, BUT…. EA is responsible for the changes made to the products that require the always-on DRM and the micro-transactions that enables
I… don’t have a problem with this.
I wonder what this has done to the EA share price, & I hope they at least talk about what they’re planning during their E3 press conference.
Omg so many puns. Love you guys so much haha. Awesome. Woot yeah
You know, if EA hadn’t already thrown Pandemic out the window we could have been well on our way to Battlefront 3.
This deal is getting worse all the time…
ooh Starwars: the sims sounds cool
Battlefield: Star wars, KOTOR 3 and a new XWING vs TIe FIghter. I have faith in EA
Attack of the FPS Clones
Can anyone at Kotaku tell me why my comments are randomly made “awaiting moderation”? I’m mindful of foul language but for some reason it seems to happen.
Half the time I post something it isn’t put online for about 8 hours by which time everybody has moved on!
Happens to me, too. I’m less mindful of foul language, but still.
Great now we are gonna have alot of crappy star wars games with DRM, Proberly not on steam and distributed through origin. All the while being buggy as all hell, servers going up and down like yoyo’s and the FANS/players get screwed as always.
EA YOU HAVE ONE JOB: BATTLEFRONT.
Had* – Pandemic are long gone ;_;
These are not the bugs you are looking for…
The two empires have merged. No one will win.
I don’t have a problem with this. EA aren’t the most reputable brand going around, but it’s still better than having nothing. If they get a team on a game that actually care about the franchise we could get some really neat stuff, considering the money EA have behind them.
With that in mind, heres a list of games based on past and present EA titles
Sith City
The Siths
Alice: Jedi Returns
Aliens Vs. Jedi
Alone in the Darkside
APB: Anything Preventing Binks
Army of Two Jedi’s
Battlefield: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away
Battlefield: Mandelorian Combat
Rock Band: The Max Rebo Band
Dark and Light
Boom Blox: Space Station Builder
Burnout Podracing
Command And Conquer: Clone Wars
Bounty Hunter: No Remorse
Dead Space: Mynock Madness
Deathspank: Lightsabres and Heavy Breathing
Deathstar Keeper
Sarlac Keeper
Battle Dejarik
Jane’s Combat Simulations: X-wing
Kashyyk Stike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike
Kingdoms of Alderaan: Reckoning
KKND: Krush Kill N’ Darth
Rancor Tycoon
Wretched Hive of Scum and Villany Tycoon
Mass Effect 4: It’s a Trap (Seriously – am i the only one that would love a star war/mass effect crossover, or at least a start wars game in the same vein??)
Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Cloud City
Medal of Honor: Rebel Assault
Need for Speed: Kessel Run
Sith or Die!
SSX Hoth
Syndicate: Spice Smuglers
Test Drive: Galactic
Empire League Football
This reminds me. I loved Podracing on N64.
episode 1 racer would have to be my second favourite racing game of all time. Second to mario kart 64 (I know!) but me and my dad used to play it all the time.
Obviously a product of the memories rather then the quality of the game. It was OK, particularly with two controls.
How long did this take you to type? 😛
Next to no time!!!
*shifts eyes from side to side*
Check your notifications. End of TAY page 4.
You beautiful beast of a man
I would play half the games on that list
You know what?
I bloody would too.
EA needs to give me a job!
Well at least Activision didn’t get the license. We’d have gotten Jizz Hero instead.
Gotta love those Modal Nodes.
Do-do-do
do-do-do
do-do-do-do doooo-dooo
So despite the prequels, despite the special editions, hell despite that stupid dancing game from Star Wars Kinect; this is the day that Star Wars truly died.
For me, there is only one reaction: http://youtu.be/WWaLxFIVX1s
Well it “could” be possible for EA to get Dice to make a new a Battlefront game using the Frostbite 2 engine, and get Bioware to make a new KOTOR………
Well I can dream at least……
I’m pretty sure there would have been the same amount of anguish and whinging had Activision or Ubisoft had secured the rights.
I dunno. I’d play an EA Star Wars game if I could get the chance to commit genocide against the Gungans. Shit… it doesn’t even have to be one from EA, ANY game that allows me to perform ethnic cleansing against the Gungans.
You shouldn’t wipe out a whole race just because of Jar Jar Binks.
Nominally, I wouldn’t, but I gotta be sure. There could be another Jar Jar in the future and I’ll kick myself if he comes along and I did nothing to prevent it…
You know that’s a valid enough reason for me.
Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds. It’s Age of Empires 2 with a Star Wars skin (literally). One of the factions you can play as (or against) are the Gungans.
There’s nothing overly bad about jar or the Gungans. Look at the Ewoks in the original trilogy, they’re teddy bears that defeat imperial troops with spears and stones. Jar Jar unfairly took the rap for the failure that was Episodes 1, 2 and 3. There’s so much wrong with the prequels, SO freakin much. The prequels are an epic symphony of failure. The script, the acting, it’s vomit worthy. And as all the confusion and hate swirled in the minds of fans they needed a focal point, some singular thing on which to focus their rage and blame. Sure, Jar Jar is a souless attempt at making kids laugh but he’s not as bad as Anakin saying “YIPEEEEEEE!”
GGWP Disney
I can see EA’s Star Wars game now… you walk into the Mos Eisley cantina, track down Han and Chewie at their table in the darkest corner of the room, then sit down to haggle over a deal to obtain passage to Alderaan. Up comes the prompt – “Press X to go to the PlayStation Store and purchase passage to Alderaan for $1.99”.
*sound of disc being ejected and thrown in bin*
LOL. Its funny because its true!
I don’t really get all the ea hate, personally I just wait and see how a game look when it’s released before I decide if I’m going to buy it or not
Please Star wars 1313 EA, please
All EA press conferences will now start with the Imperial March and all EA Executives will be dressed as Sith Lords.
Well, I guess the Imperial March bit will be a change, at least.
This makes me sad.
Rather it wasn’t EA but i will take standard Star Wars games over none…..
Lucas-arts completely dropped the ball years ago, they hadn’t brought out a half decent game since The Force Unleashed 1 and that was 5 years ago, they made ludicrous decisions like cancelling SW:BF3.
Sure maybe some people have a point about EA’s business practices but they have the studios,developers,technology,history and marketing muscle to make this work.
Best case scenario is that 1313 get finished, a DICE Battle Front game and a Bioware produced RPG game, Maybe Knights Of The NEW Republic based on the new movies, and a chance to give Mass Effect a rest.
Worst case scenario can’t be any worse than Star Wars games post The Force Unleashed.
I’ve found something that reminds me of EA:
Whether this is good news or not depends entirely on which EA we will see in the coming years. They have a nasty habit of switching between “Good Guy EA” and “Scumbag EA” every 3-4 years. We are due for a round of the Good Guy version in a year or so.
Star Wars: Battlefield 3? (Not a typo)