The new Star Wars game from the developers of The Division is just getting started, so don’t expect it soon. During a results conference call, CEO Yves Guillemot said the game is only in the “early stage” of development.
His comment came in response to a question about when the game could be released. Guillemot refused to share a launch window for the game, only emphasizing that the project is just beginning.
“We are very happy to be partnering again with Lucasfilm Games, said Guillemot.” The project will be assisted by our Massive studio, which will make the most of its cutting-edge technology, including the Snowdrop engine, to deliver a revolutionary Star Wars adventure. We are very proud of this collaboration, which is a testament to Ubisoft’s leadership and experience, namely in creating fantastic works. It is yet another demonstration of our ability to build partnerships with the biggest names in the world of entertainment and technology. “
Also during the call, Guillemot confirmed that the announcement of the Star Wars game led to an increase in job applications at Massive Entertainment.
“At Lucasfilm, we can say that we are in the early stages of developing the Star Wars game. To answer your question about the benefit of this in terms of hiring, yes, we see a lot of people wanting to take part in this adventure, and it is a really good thing” , he said.
Asked a second time by a different person to clarify a launch window for the Star Wars game, Ubisoft management said people “will have to wait a little” to learn more. EA’s exclusive deal with Disney is believed to run until 2023, meaning that the Ubisoft game cannot be released until then, but that is just speculation at this point and Ubisoft has not confirmed anything during the call.
Whatever the case, EA’s Star Wars games have been extremely successful, selling 52 million copies and generating $ 3 billion in revenue over the years. Going forward, EA will continue to launch new Star Wars games with the newly created Lucasfilm Games.
Massive’s new Star Wars game is an “open-world experience based on history within the Star Wars galaxy that will also utilize the studio’s cutting edge technology and advancements, including the Snowdrop engine,” according to the publisher.
Creative director Julian Gerighty said he’s a longtime fan of the Star Wars universe, so he’s in the clouds for working on the new game. “A New Hope was the first film I saw in the cinema, the first VHS I spent, the first action figures I wanted,” he said. “The characters, planets, spaceships and timeless stories have become so familiar and loved that I have no doubt that they have become part of who I am.”
Gerighty had already suggested that the new Star Wars game was just beginning, as he said the studio was “at the beginning of our new journey”. As such, the developer said, “We are still working on many of the details” about what the game will be, although he emphasized that the main lesson to understand is that it is a “story-based open world game”.
“For me personally, it will be a departure from the world of the Division, and both myself and the team at Massive are very excited to start creating this new experience,” he said. “We are really looking forward to creating something totally different from what we did in the past, while raising the bar for the industry.”
Gerighty said the new Star Wars game will be “unique” and will tell a “compelling story” featuring a “set of characters that players can relate to and connect with”.
“We want to take what is familiar and resonant about Star Wars and tell the stories of new characters who have their own motivations and interests. We have a passion for Star Wars and we share a vision with Lucasfilm Games about the type of original story we want to bring for the fans, which makes this part of the project very exciting, “he said.
Gerighty continued, saying that one of the reasons why Ubisoft got the job in the first place was because of Massive’s technology base. He said the team will use the Snowdrop engine to “bring innovation to gameplay and the construction of the world”.
“Our talented developers and our technology experience, especially with our internal Snowdrop game engine, allow us to go further in various aspects of game development,” he said.
Also during the call, Ubisoft management stated that Massive will continue to work on new updates for the Division, along with its efforts to create the new Avatar game and the new Star Wars game. “Massive Studio is a big studio, and they are also collaborating with a number of studios around the world. So, you will see more about the division this year and the following year, ”said the company.