Disney and Electronic Arts Ink Deal for New 'Star Wars' Games

The Walt Disney Company is prepping a new line of Star Wars video games just a month after shuttering previous publisher LucasArts.

In a Monday announcement with Electronic Arts Inc., the company firmed up plans to develop and publish new games based on the characters and storylines of the Lucasfilm franchise. Disney, which acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in October, is currently readying the next Star Wars film for a 2015 release.

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“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,” said Disney Interactive co-president John Pleasants. “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.”

EA will develop and publish the new titles, with plans for all interactive platforms and game genres. Disney retains rights to develop gaming titles for its own mobile, social, tablet and online game categories. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“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.”

Star Wars has produced dozens of video game titles, dating back to its first Atari effort tied to The Empire Strikes Back in 1982.