Ubisoft has a ‘story-driven open-world’ Star Wars game in the works for Lucasfilm Games

In brief: Disney has another Star Wars game in the works. EA, which once had an exclusive hold on the franchise, will not head up this one. Instead, Lucasfilm Games asked Ubisoft to develop “a new story-driven open-world video game set in the beloved Star Wars galaxy.”

On Wednesday, Ubisoft announced that it had entered a partnership with Lucasfilm Games and is producing an open-world Star Wars game under the label. The game is still very much in early development, so details are sparse.

Ubisoft says that it tasked its AAA Swedish studio Massive Entertainment with the development of the project. In turn, Massive has placed its most experienced veteran designers on the team and will be using its Snowdrop engine. Snowdrop is the game engine used in The Division.

We are excited to announce we are working with @LucasfilmGames to develop a brand-new, story-driven, open world Star Wars adventure! pic.twitter.com/IcwIfVs6gy

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) January 13, 2021

It also sounds like this will not be the only Lucasfilm Games project the french publisher has in mind. Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot indicated that the company entered a long-term commitment with the Disney-owned brand.

“The vast Star Wars lore is an incredible source of inspiration for our teams,” Guillemot said. “This is the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, and we are pleased to be working hand-in-hand to build upon the incredible legacy of Lucasfilm to create a game that we know Star Wars fans will love.”

Hints that Disney was reopening Lucasfilm Games surfaced almost two years ago when it posted six pages of job listings for the subsidiary. At the time, it was speculated that Disney was prepping to bring the development of future Star Wars games in-house. However, Disney clarified that it was still working with third-parties, including EA, on the franchise.

More recently, Lucasfilm Games officially announced its reopening with a sizzle reel. Bethesda also revealed that it inked a deal to produce an Indiana Jones game under the brand.