Lucasfilm Games Says Star Wars Titles Do Not Have to Be AAA
Lucasfilm is describing its own licensing strategy, and the scores attached to two debut projects from independent studios give that strategy a working case beyond the mainline Battlefront and Jedi line.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Douglas Reilly, Vice President of Lucasfilm Games, said in an October 15 interview that Star Wars games do not always need AAA budgets and that AA titles are sometimes fine. Two recent releases back the argument: STAR WARS Zero Company from Bit Reactor and Star Wars: Galactic Racer from Fuse Games, both debut projects from independent studios, each with Metacritic scores in the high 80s.
Reilly framed independent studios as part of the plan, not a fallback. He said the best partners do not have to be top-five major publishers, and that Lucasfilm weighs quality standards and track record over size.
The publishing split shows the range. Electronic Arts handled STAR WARS Zero Company, which Bit Reactor developed. Secret Mode, independent from Sumo Group since 2021, handled Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the first title from Fuse Games, a studio formed by veterans of the Burnout, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront series.
Reilly still called large-scale titles like STAR WARS Battlefront essential.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.