Lucasfilm Games broadens Star Wars partner roster beyond top-five publishers

Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly confirms a shift toward smaller, more flexible Star Wars development partners. Bit Reactor's Star Wars Zero Company has sold over 1 million copies since launch. Fuse Games' Star Wars Galactic Racer ranks among the highest-scoring Star Wars titles on Metacritic. "You don't have to necessarily be a top five publisher to make a great Star Wars game." - Douglas Reilly, VP, Lucasfilm Games

Reilly calls the move to smaller studios a deliberate part of Lucasfilm's strategy.
Disney's 10-year exclusive licensing deal with EA, which required a top-five publisher, expired in 2023.
"We've tried to be more flexible about who we're willing to take pitches from." - Douglas Reilly, VP, Lucasfilm Games
The stated goal is finding the best partner regardless of publisher scale.

Bit Reactor's Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactics game, sold over 1 million copies.
Fuse Games' Star Wars Galactic Racer ranks among the highest-scoring Star Wars titles on Metacritic.
Fuse Games was founded by former Criterion developers who worked on Burnout and Battlefront.
Konami's Silent Hill revival across Bloober Team, NeoBards and Screen Burn Interactive parallels this approach.

Reilly stops short of opening the IP to fully untested indie teams.
"Typically you work with more experienced teams than new teams who have no track record." - Douglas Reilly, VP, Lucasfilm Games
Fuse Games counts as a new studio, but its staff are Criterion and Battlefront veterans.
Arcanaut Studios' new RPG is led by KOTOR and Mass Effect veteran Casey Hudson.

Reilly calls Battlefront-scale AAA titles "always going to be an essential part of the strategy."
Three other AAA projects, KOTOR remake, Jedi 3 and Eclipse, remain in development.
None of the three AAA titles have confirmed release dates.
Reilly declines to name upcoming AA partners, saying they will surprise fans.

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