EA Signs Deal As Exclusive Video Game Rights Holder To Star Wars

EA’s recent announcement states that it has an exclusive license to publish and develop Star Wars games. 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 once again work on Star Wars games. Disney will retain the rights to create titles on mobile, social, tablet, and online, while EA will be making “core” games on the PC and consoles.

This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come. 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.

Last month, Disney shut down LucasArts, the developers that had been working Star Wars games like Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault. Disney said they would license out the property to external developers and publishers.

Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe. Three of our top studios will fulfill 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.

EA has attempted to negotiate with LucastArts in the past and perhaps those deals led to this one. There is no word on whether EA will do anything with LucasArts unfinished games Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault though.