Fans sensed a great disturbance when Disney took over the Star Wars games, but it seems that everything is under control.
Disney used its biannual fan expo, D23, to show just how it would fit the Star Wars franchise into its well-oiled machine. At the Anaheim, Calif. event last weekend it announced Star Wars Land theme park expansions for both Disneyland and Disney World, revealed new details on upcoming Star Wars films, and had film stars roaming the halls to promote it all. But some of the company’s biggest moves for the franchise were in the videogame space. Disney Interactive president James Pitaro told the nearly 8,000 fans that attended the group’s D23 announcement showcase that the company is “working overtime” to connect fans to the new possibilities and experiences that would have never been possible until now. He brought proof.
Battlefront at the forefront
Disney Interactive’s showpiece for what Star Wars games can be is Star Wars Battlefront, a title developed by Electronic Arts’ star in-house team, DICE. The shooter is a revisiting of LucasArts’ and Pandemic Studios’ original Battlefront titles, originally released a decade ago, now powered by modern consoles and PCs for a new gaming audience. The November release will be the first in a series, coming out of a multi-year partnership between Disney and EA for a “universe of Star Wars games.” They’re going all-out for this one.
Justin McCully, general manager of EA Star Wars says that development has centered around taking fans into their Star Wars fantasies, playing through their favorite moments from the films. “We want you to have the feeling you had playing with those amazing toys as kids,” he said during a D23 games presentation.
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