Disney has given EA the license for Star Wars on the NextGen consoles.

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**Kanluwen**

This just went up from DICE's Twitter feed:

@Battlefield 2m

Disney grants EA license for next-gen Star Wars games for console, PC, tablet, mobile. @EA_DICE @VisceralGames @Bioware #starwarsnextgen

I'm pretty damn excited!

Here's the actual article, which just got published:

BURBANK & REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on Star Wars characters and storylines.

Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new Star Wars titles for a core gaming audience, spanning all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile, social, tablet and online game categories.

“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,” said John Pleasants, Co-President of Disney Interactive. “Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to our fans around the world.”

“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. “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.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

**LordofHats**

“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,”

And yet... You signed a contract with EA...

Obligatory "I Hate EA" post has been made

**SilverMK2**

It is a good job I don't like Star Wars

**BrookM**

I did not see this coming. Damn..

**Slarg232**

Initial reaction:

Oh No....

After thinking about it:

Bioware: Original KotOR

Visceral: Dead Space, could totally see them making another Republic Commando and doing it pretty good.

DICE: HELL YEAH, BATTLEFRONT 3!

**Madcat87**

Let's hope they tell Bioware to make a proper KotOR this time.

**Slarg232**

Madcat87 wrote:
Let's hope they tell Bioware to make a proper KotOR this time.

If I remember right, and I'm not saying I do, Bioware only made the first one, with the second one being handed over to someone else.

**Ma55ter_fett**

Slarg232 wrote:
Madcat87 wrote:
Let's hope they tell Bioware to make a proper KotOR this time.

If I remember right, and I'm not saying I do, Bioware only made the first one, with the second one being handed over to someone else.

Obsidian entertainment made kotor 2, they seem to be the go-to guys if the original studio wants a quick sequel.

**purplefood**

KoTOR 2 was a solid sequel...
Not sure how I feel about EA getting this...
I do not like them very much.

**KingCracker**

KOTOR2 was pretty decent yea. But to be honest....MUCH of that game felt like a direct rehash of the first.

**purplefood**

It's a sequel...
It's not supposed to be a totally new game...

**Goliath**

I'm fairly optimistic about this.

Bioware made some of my favourite games over the past few years, and DICE made Battlefield: Bad Company 2 which I spent far too long playing.

Optimistic.

**Medium of Death**

KOTOR2 had promise, but got shipped far too early. Pales in comparison to the first game though.

I'll take another Republic Commando type game if they choose to make one.

**Kanluwen**

Bear in mind that Disney is likely doing this as a "clean slate" tied to the films they're going to be doing.

I would not be surprised to see large scale warfare set in whatever time frame they choose to use from DICE and a third person adventure/action game from Visceral.

Personally? I've got my fingers crossed for Battlefield: Hoth...

**Slarg232**

Maybe Visceral will do that Boba Fett Game that was being made; Isaac was kinda a lot like Boba if you think about it. And they were amongst the first (That I know of) to put 3D flight into a shooter and make it work (Unlike Dark Void).

**MrMoustaffa**

I swear to god if the first game they release isn't Battlefront 3 I will break down and cry.

**Slarg232**

MrMoustaffa wrote:
I swear to god if the first game they release isn't Battlefront 3 I will break down and cry.

Don't get your hopes up. After everything we've put EA through with it being the worst company ever, this was bound to happen.

**Kanluwen**

MrMoustaffa wrote:
I swear to god if the first game they release isn't Battlefront 3 I will break down and cry.

Battlefront 3 is most likely off the table.

They would want to start fresh, with a new title and a new "franchise" to work with.

**Slarg232**

Don't mind Kan, guys. He's just the drinker of tears and the crusher of dreams

While I do agree that we won't see "Battlefront 3", I doubt they would have DICE do anything other than Battlefield Starwars, which is essentially what Battlefront was.

Unless they try to make Jedi Parkour

**Valion**

Medal of Honor: Hothfighter. Guarantee it.

As for getting hopes up about Bioware...I really wouldn't. Most of the people who made golden era Bioware games are no longer associated with the company, including its founders. It's become very much just another EA studio.

**Kanluwen**

Valion wrote:
Medal of Honor: Hothfighter. Guarantee it.

As for getting hopes up about Bioware...I really wouldn't. Most of the people who made golden era Bioware games are no longer associated with the company, including its founders. It's become very much just another EA studio.

And praytell, what is "just another EA studio"?

Is it a studio which releases a quality title like Dead Space 3? How about Mass Effect 3, which featured a multiplayer component that was until very recently still in the top 10 of "Most Played" on Xbox Live?

BTW:
BioWare isn't just one studio. There are three different BioWare studios at this point, each centered upon a specific property/genre at this point.
BioWare Austin is responsible for The Old Republic and also helped manage Warhammer: Age of Reckoning with Mythic.
BioWare Montreal was largely responsible for the Multiplayer component of Mass Effect 3. They did quite a few of the N7 side missions for Mass Effect 2 as well, but primarily made their mark shipping the multiplayer and the follow-up DLCs.
BioWare Edmonton was responsible for the single player component of Mass Effect 3. Until fairly recently they primarily focused upon single player, period, but after Mass Effect 3 shipped they started working alongside the studio at Montreal on the multiplayer component.

**Valion**

Kanluwen wrote:
And praytell, what is "just another EA studio"?

A studio where innovation goes to die in favor of refining sequels with known formulas, perhaps. I'm not sure why anyone would seriously question the idea that EA's acquisitions tend to get homogenized regularly and rapidly.

Is it a studio which releases a quality title like Dead Space 3? How about Mass Effect 3, which featured a multiplayer component that was until very recently still in the top 10 of "Most Played" on Xbox Live?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Popularity doesn't necessarily equal quality, as I imagine Modern Warfare 3 and BlOps II are still quite popular, despite being fairly weak entries into the series.

Bioware's strength used to be its storytelling and its well-earned RPG cred, but everyone can do the former now, and they're steadily losing the latter thanks to their love of the cinematic over the interactive.

**Kanluwen**

Valion wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:
And praytell, what is "just another EA studio"?

A studio where innovation goes to die in favor of refining sequels with known formulas, perhaps. I'm not sure why anyone would seriously question the idea that EA's acquisitions tend to get homogenized regularly and rapidly.

Because not everyone thinks that "innovation" is necessary when you have a successful formula?

Is it a studio which releases a quality title like Dead Space 3? How about Mass Effect 3, which featured a multiplayer component that was until very recently still in the top 10 of "Most Played" on Xbox Live?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Popularity doesn't necessarily equal quality, as I imagine Modern Warfare 3 and BlOps II are still quite popular, despite being fairly weak entries into the series.

Popularity might not equate to quality, but the length of time that a title remains popular is one of those things that can be related to what people deem to be quality.

A year on, Mass Effect 3 was still going strong on a platform which is well known for having a demographic which skips from title to title.
If that's not a signpost of "quality game design", I don't know what is.

Bioware's strength used to be its storytelling and its well-earned RPG cred, but everyone can do the former now, and they're steadily losing the latter thanks to their love of the cinematic over the interactive.

While everyone can do the former, it is not always done.

I'd disagree with you in a heartbeat regarding the RPG bit. The Mass Effect trilogy was a fantastic game to play.
Heavens forbid they get away from the obscene inventory and reputation micromanaging from ME1 to the more streamlined system of 2+3 though. It's the death of RPGs everywhere!

**Valion**

Kanluwen wrote:
Because not everyone thinks that "innovation" is necessary when you have a successful formula?

Oftentimes it isn't, but that's not the whole story with EA, is it? It's a company known for milking its acquisitions - both franchises and actual studios - completely dry and, in the process, destroying them. I mean, that's pretty much what gamers think of when they think EA.

Popularity might not equate to quality, but the length of time that a title remains popular is one of those things that can be related to what people deem to be quality.

A year on, Mass Effect 3 was still going strong on a platform which is well known for having a demographic which skips from title to title.
If that's not a signpost of "quality game design", I don't know what is.

I'll assume it's true, first of all, and point out that for ever ME3 or Dead Space 3, there's a Dragon Age II or a TOR.

While everyone can do the former, it is not always done.

I'd disagree with you in a heartbeat regarding the RPG bit. The Mass Effect trilogy was a fantastic game to play.
Heavens forbid they get away from the obscene inventory and reputation micromanaging from ME1 to the more streamlined system of 2+3 though. It's the death of RPGs everywhere!

I'm not talking about the mechanics, which I couldn't care less about. RPGs should be about creating a character and, in the video game realm at least, being presented with the illusion of choice if not choice itself. Bioware in general has steadily gotten further and further away from that. It's less about making a character your own with them these days than it is, "Here, take our character through our script. But wait! It's a roleplaying game because you get to to different 'takes' on the same line sometimes!"

**Sigvatr**

Kanluwen wrote:

Is it a studio which releases a quality title like Dead Space 3?

Eh.....what?

**KingCracker**

Im in the I want Battlefront:dont give a gak! I just want another Battlefront to kill WAY to much time on

**Soladrin**

Sigvatr wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:

Is it a studio which releases a quality title like Dead Space 3?

Eh.....what?

That made me scratch my head too.

But Kan's always had a stiffy for EA anyway.

Also, I very much doubt they would get DICE involved with starwars. DICE is one studio, they aren't going to split those guys up. Military shooters still outsell everything right now so I doubt they would do this. Also, consider that DICE's previous venture into sci-fi territory ended up being pretty crap in sales. (while the game was awesome)

Honestly, I couldn't care less. If they completely screw up the franchise I'm still happy.

**KingCracker**

Ill agree to that. Ill still get to see more StarWars come out that has a better chance of being decent.

**purplefood**

If they just release Battlefield Star Wars edition I am gonna be annoyed...
Battlefront was far more enjoyable than Battlefield ever was... well maybe apart from Bad Company...

**Kain**

EA isn't so bad...now Activision on the other hand...