Electronic Arts has announced that it has struck a multi-year video game deal with Disney, acquiring the exclusive rights to the Star Wars franchise. The deal gives EA the rights to produce and publish new games based on characters and events in the Star Wars universe for PC and Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft platforms. Disney retains the rights to produce titles for mobile, social, and tablet platforms.

“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”

“This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the Star Wars franchise for years to come,” added Disney co-president John Pleasants. “Collaborating with one of the world’s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new Star Wars titles to our fans around the world.”

With the closure of LucasArts it should come as a relief to some fans that the future of Star Wars in gaming is secure. Then again, EA hasn’t had the best reputation lately. It would have been nice to see other developers get a chance to make games for the Star Wars universe instead of an exclusive deal. Regardless, I can’t wait to see what new titles Bioware will create and I’m curious about what DICE and Visceral will offer as well. With EA releasing new games for the Star Wars universe, fans are still wondering about the fate of Star Wars: 1313 and Star Wars: Battlefront 3. Hopefully Disney and Lucasarts will release information on these two titles in the near future. Stay tuned to Gamer Horizon for the latest information on the subject.