EA studios will be the exclusive developers of Star Wars console and PC games for an unspecified amount of time. Disney retains rights to online, mobile, and tablet efforts.
Disney recently folded LucasArts who was working what on appeared to be an impressive next-gen Star Wars 1313 and XBLA/PSN Battlefront III spin-off Star Wars: First Assault. The studio handled the majority of Star Wars video games, beginning in-house with the memorable X-Wing. Their final efforts include the The Force Unleashed and its sequel.
EA made no statement as to their specific plans for the franchise other than tossing out marketing statements and developers. From the press release:
“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe0. 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.”
DICE, of course, handles EA’s war shooter Battlefield, Visceral delivers Dead Space, and BioWare dipped their hands in Star Wars with The Old Republic.
