Disney is ending the partnership with EA on SW games, BUT.......

[FakeSympathy]

Today, two news story was revealed;

1. Ubisoft working on Open-world SW game with Lucasfilm Games

2. Disney won't be renewing SW license to EA after 2023


Damn it, I don't know whether I should feel happy or sad about this. On one hand we got the ned of a deal with one of the most greediest companies in the world. On the other hand, we got a SW game being made by another greedy company.

BUT NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST, FOLKS!
According to their official blog post, Lucasfilm games is open to all developers in making SW game

 

[Hades]

EA is losing Star Wars! Wooo!

The next in line to make a Star Wars game is Ubisoft! Boooo!

 

[Dreiko]

While Fallen Order was incredible, everything else EA has used the license for has been trash, so I'm glad to see more competition arise.

 

[SilentPony]

Yeah I think the loot boxes and grind of the Battlefront games targeting children was not what Disney wanted to associate with Star Wars.

 

[BrawlMan]

I found out on allgamesdelta. Still not buying. Disney, can get your head out of your ass and do more than one Star wars games per AAA company. Give medium sized and smaller developers a shot too. You lose absolutely butt-fucking nothing

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I’m mostly surprised Jason was involved with a story with no mention of crunch.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

There's a joke in there about the division writer being apt for developing a star wars game, as star wars seems mostly defined by the division of fans these days, but I can't be fucked to structure it.

 

[Worgen]

While Fallen Order was incredible, everything else EA has used the license for has been trash, so I'm glad to see more competition arise.

What about Starfighter? That one looked pretty cool.

 

[sXeth]

Funny thing there, is what they've shown of the allegedly upcoming Beyond Good and Evil 2 already more or less was Star Wars'y in nature, so are they gonna have two of them now?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yeah I think the loot boxes and grind of the Battlefront games targeting children was not what Disney wanted to associate with Star Wars.

Yeah, let's give it to Ubiso-.. oh.

 

[Bedinsis]

Well, let's see what titles EA produced while they held the licence:

Luckily, the Wikipedia editors have already created a handy list.

Star Wars Battlefront I. A game which despite much online complaining I suspect was a satisfying enough experience for the average player, and which sold very well.

Star Wars Battlefront II. A game that garnered a lot of press about how Star Wars is encouraging children to gamble.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Got good reviews, sold well.

Star Wars: Squadrons. A VR space combat game; I don't really know anything about it.

And that was it. Either the Wikipedia editors have an odd categorization or they've missed something, since I know at least one other title:

The Sims 4: Star Wars: Journey to Batuu which is... Star Wars combined with The Sims. I like both those things. How to mix them together I have no idea.

So: 7 years of holding the IP, 3-4 major releases, one smaller sized expansion pack. Couldn't they have been a bit more bold? And used the licence to mid range titles?

I mean, even before the IP was granted exclusivity there was at least some experiments in using it in new ways, such as Star Wars Kinect and Angry Birds Star Wars; I don't think that happened with EA at the helm. Unless we're talking experimental ways of monetization, which they most certainly did, and I and many others thought it was a terrible decision.

 

[Gyrobot]

Yeah I think the loot boxes and grind of the Battlefront games targeting children was not what Disney wanted to associate with Star Wars.

Games as Service has been a constant marketing strategy for Disney, they know exactly what they are doing and I am fine with it because this is just the price of how expensive and restrictive the license is.

Anyone hoping for a renaissance of AA Star War games need to curb their enthusiasm as few of us lived through the horror of mediocre LJN games

Well, let's see what titles EA produced while they held the licence:

Luckily, the Wikipedia editors have already created a handy list.

Star Wars Battlefront I. A game which despite much online complaining I suspect was a satisfying enough experience for the average player, and which sold very well.

Star Wars Battlefront II. A game that garnered a lot of press about how Star Wars is encouraging children to gamble.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Got good reviews, sold well.

Star Wars: Squadrons. A VR space combat game; I don't really know anything about it.

And that was it. Either the Wikipedia editors have an odd categorization or they've missed something, since I know at least one other title:

The Sims 4: Star Wars: Journey to Batuu which is... Star Wars combined with The Sims. I like both those things. How to mix them together I have no idea.

So: 7 years of holding the IP, 3-4 major releases, one smaller sized expansion pack. Couldn't they have been a bit more bold? And used the licence to mid range titles?

I mean, even before the IP was granted exclusivity there was at least some experiments in using it in new ways, such as Star Wars Kinect and Angry Birds Star Wars; I don't think that happened with EA at the helm. Unless we're talking experimental ways of monetization, which they most certainly did, and I and many others thought it was a terrible decision.

From Disney's POV that is fine, because they are not trying to aim for a bunch of cult classics but utterly disposable GaaS games with clear marketing strategies.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Going from EA to Ubisoft.
Talk about a freaking monkey paw.

 

[Gyrobot]

Going from EA to Ubisoft.
Talk about a freaking monkey paw.

Not really a monkey's paw but predictable move.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I don't care about Star Wars anymore. Disney ruined it for me.

 

[Dreiko]

I’m mostly surprised Jason was involved with a story with no mention of crunch.

He was prolly eating a kitkat when writing this. He could taste the crunch so no need to write about it.

What about Starfighter? That one looked pretty cool.

I legit forgot that existed actually, when I was looking it up I didn't see anything interesting about it but it likely would be better than at least battlefront. But yeah I'm not a good person to speak about it, someone who has actually played it would be better.


But yeah I really just loved Fallen Order, it felt like a proper game and not some BS thing with a SW wallpaper. I will keep hoping that more people will learn from it.

 

[Worgen]

I legit forgot that existed actually, when I was looking it up I didn't see anything interesting about it but it likely would be better than at least battlefront. But yeah I'm not a good person to speak about it, someone who has actually played it would be better.


But yeah I really just loved Fallen Order, it felt like a proper game and not some BS thing with a SW wallpaper. I will keep hoping that more people will learn from it.

I know that Super Bunnyhop really liked it, but I haven't played it myself either.

 

[Dalisclock]

I know that Super Bunnyhop really liked it, but I haven't played it myself either.

I picked it up on sale late last year. It's on my list to play this year for sure. If it's remotely as good as the XWing/Tie Fighter games(even if only X-Wing:Alliance) I'll be happy.

 

[Kyrian007]

Ooh, ooh... some joke in the tutorial island at the beginning of Ubisoft's Star Wars game about a jedi using the force to from the ground flip a switch way up at the top of a space radio tower.

But seriously, conceptually I don't have a problem with this. Ubisoft makes games that are... fine. Nothing special or outstanding in any way; but functional, adequate, competent wastes of some free time. A far cry (if you will) from the heights of Lucasarts, but potentially a step up from where the license has been for a long while now.

 

[laggyteabag]

I mean, I hope this can only mean good things for Star Wars.

Like many others, im quite disappointed/wary that they are starting off this new era of Star Wars games with Ubisoft, of all companies, but I hope to see a lot of great new games in the future, with hopefully a lot more variation than just FPS games, and third-person action games.