Exclusive rights to video game adaptations of popular franchises are a good way to make money. EA has proven that for years, simply by having a hand inStar Warsvideo games since 2013. That relatively young exclusivity deal with Disney was cast into doubt whenLucasfilm Games announced a newStar Warsgamein development with Ubisoft’s help. At first blush, this announcement probably scared fans ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.If Lucasfilm Games was going to start making lots ofStar Warstitles, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that it wanted exclusive rights to furthering the franchise in this medium.
However, EA has already come forward to reassure fans ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.It claims that there’ll be more EAStar Warsgames in the future, which means odds are good thatFallen Order 2will show up someday. As indicated in its statement, EA is no stranger to collaborating with Lucasfilm onStar Warsprojects. There’s probably going to be a lot more collaboration in the future if Lucasfilm Games is starting to take a more hands-on role, butFallen Order 2won’t be waylaid by that new connection. For now, it doesn’t look like this theoretical sequel will get competition.
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Lucasfilm’s Big Year
Lucasfilm Games says it has a lot going on in 2021. Although it’s confirmed that there’s one open-worldStar Warsgame in the works, it sounds like Lucasfilm Games has moreStar Warsprojects on the horizon. Apparently,Lucasfilm Games is interestedin having a more active role in games about its IP, which spurred this surprising game announcement. While that makes it sound like Lucasfilm wasn’t pleased with the likes ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,that doesn’t seem likely, since the game was very warmly received. It might just be interested in helping futureStar Warsgames be as successful asFallen Order.
Odds are good that Lucasfilm Games will want to collaborate more directly withEA and Respawn Entertainment onFallen Order 2.If Lucasfilm Games is making its own titles, that’s for the best. Transparency between all these studios means that overlap of design, themes, gameplay, and so on between Lucasfilm’s project andFallen Order 2can be minimized, preventing the games from competing with one another. That means EA’s lost exclusivity will turn into an advantage. MoreStar Warsgames will see production in a way that benefits all the involved studios, benefitting fans and developers alike.
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A Galaxy of Games
Rumor indicates thatFallen Order 2has been in developmentfor some time now. It would be unwise for Lucasfilm Games to stomp on EA’s development. AlthoughStar Wars Battlefront 2was controversial, EA proved withStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderthat it can produce a high-quality narrative game with theStar WarsIP. Lucasfilm Games probably feels inclined to let EA keep exploring this frontier and might even be willing to let EA keep the same level of freedom it had when it had exclusive rights toStar Warsgames.
Rather than trying to wrench control of the franchise from EA, Lucasfilm Games sounds like it wants to expandStar Warsgames into a much larger pool of playable experiences.Star Warsis such an expansive fictional universe that there’s really no shortage of room for new games. As a franchise,Star Warsalready has a long history of game adaptations, with some entries to be proud of, likeStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.Lucasfilm Games sounds inclined to capture those glory days ofStar Warsgames. With the help of franchises likeEA and Respawn’sJedi: Fallen Order,Lucasfilm could have the chance to kick of aStar Warsgame renaissance.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. A sequel is reportedly in development.
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