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React Episode 5: Why Disney Shut Down LucasArts

Today it was revealed that Disney decided to close down their newly acquired LucasArts studio. 150 people were laid off, and both of the studio’s current projects—Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 were cancelled. However Disney will still use the Star Wars name to license the series to other studios.

This means that instead of developing games in house Disney instead want’s to entrust third-party publishers or studios to develop the games for them. This is a pretty selfish move on Disney’s behalf, but understandable from a business standpoint.

Listen to our Reaction podcast as we discuss this news in detail. We brought on two guests who have extensive knowledge of both Star Wars and the gaming industry in general. Thanks to Rameez Quadri and Michael Ajibade for joining us.

Star-Wars-1313-Coruscant

Will we ever get to see the remains of Star Wars 1313? It was looking pretty impressive, and it would be such a waste for it to never see the light of day. What will become of current Star Wars games such as the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic? Which companies will chose to use the Star Wars license in the future?

We can’t provide the answers, but we definitely discussed all the possibilities. Take a listen and let us know your own thoughts below.