Last Updated on January 26, 2021 by Mark P.
2020 was a rough year for media, even the ever-popular Star Wars series. But thankfully for fans, Ubisoft has kicked off 2021 by announcing their partnership with Lucasfilm Games and Disney in order to produce a brand-new Star Wars game. The development team in charge will be led by Julian Gerighty and Mass Entertainment, a duo that is most well-known for the game series “The Division.” Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of information about the game as of right now. Aside from the title being developed on the Snowdrop engine and being “a new story-driven open-world Star Wars adventure,” there is little indication of what the game will be about or what it will be like.
Julian Gerighty stated that, “This is a lore that we love, and we want to do it justice with a game and story that bring both lifelong and new fans on an immersive and outstanding journey that will stay with them for years.” Ubisoft’s CEO confirmed that this project has been a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games and has the development teams excited to explore the vast lore of the franchise. While Massive Entertainment has made several games that invite players to return to engage in daily challenges, tasks and new content as well as earn loot and compete in multiplayer modes, it’s unclear if this new Star Wars game will follow the same formula. Guillemot said, “This is the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, and we are pleased to be working hand-in-hand to build upon the incredible legacy of Lucasfilm to create a game that we know Star Wars fans will love.”
This statement indicates that either Ubisoft will be making more Star Wars games in the future, or this new open-world game may be the first in a series of related titles. The implication is given further credence due to a statement from Vice President of Lucasfilm Games: “Ubisoft [has] a unique talent for crafting immersive worlds so we’re thrilled to work with them on this project. We are inspired by the passion and talent of the team at Massive, and together we share a vision for the type of original stories we want to tell with our players in this expansive galaxy. They have the creativity, experience, and community understanding to bring awe-inspiring authenticity, depth, and innovation to this new Star Wars game.”
The announcement proves that these new gaming efforts will be under the mantle of the new Lucasfilm Games studio. As welcome as this news is for developers and fans, it was also unexpected considering EA was supposed to have exclusive rights to developing any Star Wars games. Starting in 2013, Disney and EA had what was supposed to be a 10-year deal on creating games for this franchise. It appears that the deal was altered to allow for this new partnership with Ubisoft, but the deal may be altered further if even more companies want in on creating content for this extremely beloved franchise.
Even though EA and Disney are no longer in an exclusive deal, they are still expecting to work with one another in the future. This change in business seems to mark what is just the beginning for new Star Wars content. Julian Gerighty, a lifelong fan of the Star Wars universe, is incredibly excited to be working on the new game. “A New Hope was the first movie I saw at the cinema, the first VHS that I wore out, the first action figures that I craved,” he said. “The characters, the planets, the ships, and the timeless stories became so familiar and loved that I have no doubt that they have become part of who I am.”
