Lucasfilm Games announced that they’re working with Ubisoft on a brand new, story-driven open-world Star Wars game.
It’s a genre long-requested by fans, and will come to life via Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft’s critically-acclaimed studio based in Malmö, Sweden. “We’re really excited about an opportunity to work with the team at Massive, led by David Polfeldt and the creative director, Julian Gerighty. We’ve spent almost a year now, working to get to know them and what they want to bring to the table,” Reilly says. “I’m a huge fan of them, personally. I think we’re really excited about where that project is going, because they have a unique vision for the story and the game they want to deliver.”
The news of an open-world Star Wars game by Ubisoft also means that the franchise is free from EA’s shadows as 10-year long exclusivity deal comes to an end. The exclusivity deal was signed in 2013 and will come to an end in 2023, but its blossoms are blooming already.
After this story initially published, an EA spokesperson reached provided the following statement: “We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, which will continue for years to come. Our talented teams have created some of the most successful games in the history of the Star Wars franchise, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Battlefront and Battlefront II, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, and Star Wars: Squadrons. We love Star Wars, and we look forward to creating more exciting experiences for players to enjoy.”
While EA’s Battlefront series had a rocky start, the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was a critically acclaimed title since launch and, EA may still have an ace up their sleeve as reports have mentioned that Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is already in production.
Ubisoft is an excellent choice of partner studio for a Star Wars project. Julian Gerighty, director of The Division 2 and The Crew, will serve as the game’s creative director, and the title will use Massive’s Snowdrop engine.
Beyond that, Lucasfilm Games hasn’t revealed anything about the characters or settings within the Star Wars universe that the game will feature. Massive Games is still hiring for the game, so it’s safe to say that an open-world Star Wars game, though certain, is still far away. Even the earliest release date lands in 2024 as EA has holds the exclusivity rights till 2023.