Lucasfilm has revealed a new initiative being rolled out for video games set in the Star Wars universe, and it’s confusing, to say the least.
A statement released over on the franchise’s official website yesterday confirmed that effectively immediately, all future titles that tell stories from a galaxy far, far away will be released under the brand name Lucasfilm Games. This decision, according to the blog post, has been made to reflect an “unprecedented phase of creativity” for the IP, likely referring to the new High Republic era and several upcoming projects shared between the big screen and Disney’s streaming platform. “Lucasfilm Games is now the official identity for all gaming titles from Lucasfilm,” the briefing continues, adding that it’s a name which “encompasses the company’s rich catalog of video games and its eye toward the future.”
The unexpected news is accompanied by a sizzle reel celebrating some of the most recent adventures featuring Force wielders, including Respawn Entertainment’s Jedi: Fallen Order, EA Motive’s Squadrons and BioWare’s The Old Republic MMO.
That all seems rather straightforward so far, then, but EA, which currently holds sole publishing rights for Star Wars in the medium, isn’t named once in the bulletin. Whether this is simply an oversight or a lack of necessity in mentioning the company isn’t clear, but the omission nonetheless raises questions over the publisher’s continued involvement. Currently, it appears as if Lucasfilm Games is nothing more than a brand intended to unite all applicable content under a single banner, but is there more to the story?
For what it’s worth, a quick glance over social media suggests EA and Disney are still very much on good terms, so it seems, at least for now, that the former situation is correct. We’ll be keeping an eye out for further details, of course, but in the meantime, let us know what you make of the surprise announcement down below!
