Ubisoft announces open world Star Wars game is in development

UPDATE

Ubisoft has published a blog post with an interview with the developers working on the new Star Wars project, confirming it'll be a story-driven open world game. 

They also describe it as the "beginning of a long term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games" - so Ubisoft might have some more Star Wars projects in the works. 

Original story

In another surprise Lucasfilm announcement, Ubisoft is working on an open world Star Wars game with Swedish developer Massive Entertainment.

According to a report from Wired, development on the title is very early, with Julian Gerighty, director of The Division 2 and The Crew, serving as the game’s creative director. 

The title will also use the Snowdrop engine, the same used for The Division 2. 

There’s no details on when or where it’ll take place in the Star Wars universe, but it seems to mark the end of EA’s exclusivity deal with the Star Wars franchise - who have been the only company to release Star Wars titles over the past eight years.

Star Wars: Squadrons released last year (Picture: EA) 

It was previously stated the deal was scheduled to last ten years, so it’s unclear whether it’s ended early or if Lucasfilm are able to seek other partners for games releasing beyond this date.

It seems Lucasfilm are dealing out their IP to numerous game studios, with Bethesda set to create an Indiana Jones game with the developer of Wolfenstein. 

We are excited to announce we are working with @LucasfilmGames to develop a brand-new, story-driven, open world Star Wars adventure! #starwars#ubisoftpic.twitter.com/QlmFYR94oL

— Ubisoft_UK (@Ubisoft_UK) January 13, 2021

 The most exciting part of this is what it means for Star Wars games moving forward, opening the possibility of top tier developers putting their own spin on the franchise. 

Over the past eight years, EA has released four major Star Wars titles, including two entries in the Battlefront franchise, Jedi Fallen Order and Squadrons.