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EA Might Lose Their Star Wars License?! What Does That Mean For SWTOR?


Ylliarus

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I just woke up from a lovely sleep, grab my phone and Google shows me a link to this article:

 

http://www.cinelinx.com/game-rumors/item/11988-report-disney-lfl-talking-with-2-new-game-developers-for-star-wars.html

 

According to this article, Disney and Lucasfilm are unhappy with what EA has been doing with the franchise in the gaming world and are supposedly looking at ways to take the exclusive right to make Star Wars games away from them. Instead, according to the article, they are considering to give the right to make Star Wars games to Ubisoft or Activision.

 

So this is yet another rumour/article that shows there is a storm going on behind the scenes that we are barely aware of. But the important question I want to ask is what this will mean for SWTOR. If EA loses their right to make Star Wars games does that mean Bioware will have to shut down Star Wars The Old Republic? Or is there a possibility that the SWTOR title will be taken over by Ubisoft or Activision and continue under their care?

 

EDIT: Also, to be clear, I am reading in the posts that there was another poster who had been spamming the forums with the same rumour earlier. To be clear, I am not that same poster and I wasn't aware there had been a poster spamming the forums with this rumour. I do apologise however for unknowingly and unwillingly spamming the same rumour they spammed. Had I known that something of the sorts had happened I would not have made this thread! :)

Edited by Ylliarus
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It would be shutdown, or receive no more updates or content, is the most likely thing. Being an mmo that kinda requires more content constantly to keep it going it's not exactly easy to switch it somewhere else.

 

If it were to happen that EA lost it I might be surprised if they changed it to somewhere else, but unlikely since it is EA's game even if with Star Wars IP. With LotRO the new devs bought out the rights to develop it etc, so it is plausible Disney may go that kind of route but I don't know the specifics of their contract with EA.

Edited by Asmodesu
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It would be shutdown, or receive no more updates or content, is the most likely thing. Being an mmo. If a single player game it'd be easier to just switch developer and publisher but with an mmorpg that kinda requires more content constantly to keep it going it's not as easy.

 

If it were to happen that EA lost it I might be surprised if they changed it to somewhere else, but unlikely since it is EA's game even if with Star Wars IP.

 

I see, so shutting it down and rebooting it under either Ubisoft or Activision wouldn't be possible either? I saw some talks here once that there was another MMO (Final Fantasy I think? Not sure) that shut down for half a year or something and was later rebooted and a huge success. Could that work for SWTOR?

Edited by Ylliarus
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I see, so shutting it down and rebooting it under either Ubisoft or Activision wouldn't be possible either? I saw some talks here once that there was another MMO (Final Fantasy I think? Not sure) that shut down for half a year or something and was later rebooted and a huge success. Could that work for SWTOR?

 

Final Fantasy first release was shut down and rebooted by the developer/publisher because it was riddled with issues and it's reboot was completely different to the original, from memory (i played both for a time) and a thoguh huge success the company in charge of it did not change names, it didn't change hands. Which is the main difference here if EA gets shafted for the rights to develop and publish Star Wars is that a completely different company would need to take the reins, and then it's up to that company and Disney whether SWTOR is even included, and whether to bother with it at all, fully reboot so it's no longer the same game or continue it.

 

LotRO was the closest example of an mmorpg changing hands, I used to play it but do not know all those details. I only know a group purchased the rights to handle it completely off the originally holder etc and they did that so they could pump up development of content for it.

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Someone made multiple threads on this subject and they got removed. His reasons were to cause a stir however!

I can't blame Disney, EA seems to have failed every SW game they made and they are reckless with how they handle their games and studios.

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Possibly losing an exclusive license does not automatically mean EA would not be able to retain licenses for their existing products. That could happen of course but it's by no means given. Depends on terms of current license(s), negotiating, and Disney's licensing policy. Edited by exfell
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LotRO was the closest example of an mmorpg changing hands, I used to play it but do not know all those details. I only know a group purchased the rights to handle it completely off the originally holder etc and they did that so they could pump up development of content for it.

 

LotR Online has been going for 11 years and went through a total of 5 publishers. Eleven years and five publishers. The game is still running, and released a major expansion (Mordor) last year. It's my opinion that it has endured this long for three reasons: a very loyal player base, the willingness to transfer the license to a new studio to continue content development, and EA has never gotten their claws on it.

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LotR Online has been going for 11 years and went through a total of 5 publishers. Eleven years and five publishers. The game is still running, and released a major expansion (Mordor) last year. It's my opinion that it has endured this long for three reasons: a very loyal player base, the willingness to transfer the license to a new studio to continue content development, and EA has never gotten their claws on it.

 

It's still going strong, it's great. Not just because of dedicated players but devs/publishers dedicated to keeping it going too, needs someone to make+maintain it as well as those to buy it/spend money on it. Its been lucky, I kinda miss that game. Played it for a few years before KotFE was released for swtor, likely will go back to it if swtor keeps disappointing me.

 

I don't know EA and Disney's history of transferring licenses hence why I am quite sure it won't happen, mostly because EA is a filthy company at the moment.

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According to this article, Disney and Lucasfilm are unhappy with what EA has been doing with the franchise in the gaming world and are supposedly looking at ways to take the exclusive right to make Star Wars games away from them. Instead, according to the article, they are considering to give the right to make Star Wars games to Ubisoft or Activision.

 

So this is yet another rumour/article that shows there is a storm going on behind the scenes that we are barely aware of. But the important question I want to ask is what this will mean for SWTOR. If EA loses their right to make Star Wars games does that mean Bioware will have to shut down Star Wars The Old Republic? Or is there a possibility that the SWTOR title will be taken over by Ubisoft or Activision and continue under their care?

Two points:

* According to the article, EA has only released two SW games: Battlefront and Battlefront II. I don't know which game it is we play from that list. (OK, perhaps they meant "during the exclusive license period", but it would have been a good idea to be more specific.)

* If Disney/LFL is considering changing the IP license, either to make it non-exclusive OR to sell it to someone else, those negotiations will take a while, so nosing around now isn't a bad idea, even if the plan is to let the current contract expire at its natural end.

 

So it's largely noise based on nothing but speculation. When there's something more concrete, I'll pay attention. Until then, noisy noise is noisy, sorry.

 

EDIT: also, doing things that launch these sort of rumours is a good way to put pressure on EA to clean up its act.

Edited by SteveTheCynic
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When I saw the title I though "Oh God, 'R_R' is back under an alias since he's on a time out. And having 5 threads deleted just wasn't enough."

 

Then I saw the name. I hope Ylliarus isn't 'R_R'.

 

Things like this won't happen overnight. Also remember that it takes years to develop a game. So even if Uncle Mickey is waving the SW banner at other companies, it could still be 5-6+ years before we see anything tangible come out. So while EA has the exclusives to publish the game, it doesn't stop Uncle Mickey from "recruiting" another company to create a new MMO (not some lame app) and just hold the publishing until EA's license expires or gets revoked.

Edited by PorsaLindahl
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In all likelihood all this means is that Disney is in backup plan mode and probably is shopping the IP around due to backlash against EA at the moment over this past year's consumer complaints.

 

All we can do is keep rehashing the same info over and over again though.

 

  • Because of how game code law works (sounds silly, but it's a thing) if EA loses the license Bioware, probably, owns the codes for the game.
  • Bioware, while controlling ownership of their developed SWTOR code, would not be privy to just hand SWTOR over to someone else.
  • Even with the two above bullets in play, it wouldn't stop someone from doing a non-profit emulator of SWTOR.

 

Basically, once/if EA loses the license SWTOR as a live game would shut down.

 

Due to legal jargon it essentially is easier for all parties involved if a new game is made then. Basically, everyone that was here through the mess with SWG transition to SWTOR has a good idea what will happen.

 

Edit/Add: I, personally, think Disney will probably keep the license with EA till 2023 but could use the "breach" in contract performance (?) to develop some games with these other potential game Publishers to have some Star Wars games ready to go in 2023 during the transition period. However, I do think Bioware put all of it's eggs in one basket with Anthem and SWTOR, unfortunately, is taking the brunt of that development slump.

Edited by LunaticFringer
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When I saw the title I though "Oh God, 'R_R' is back under an alias since he's on a time out. And having 5 threads deleted just wasn't enough."

 

Then I saw the name. I hope Ylliarus isn't 'R_R'.

 

Things like this won't happen overnight. Also remember that it takes years to develop a game. So even if Uncle Mickey is waving the SW banner at other companies, it could still be 5-6+ years before we see anything tangible come out. So while EA has the exclusives to publish the game, it doesn't stop Uncle Mickey from "recruiting" another company to create a new MMO (not some lame app) and just hold the publishing until EA's license expires or gets revoked.

 

Ylliarus is an independent entity. It does not exist in this universe and it simultaneously does. We are an enigmatic enigma, an unknowable mystery. To attempt to comprehend us, is like looking into the void. You will see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing. But the void will stare back at you and you... will become us.

 

All jokes aside, no, I am not R_R. I assume that must have been someone who was creating a fuss about it earlier in order to stir up trouble. I assure you that is not my intent and those who know me on these forums already probably know that :) I was just genuinely curious to the thoughts of others on this subject. Also, my question is very genuine: what will EA losing their Star Wars license mean for SWTOR. I absolutely want to create no fuss, no problems nor do I want to stir up anything, just have a friendly discussion with you folks here and gain insight on the subject as I am not that knowledgeable about how things work in the gaming industry :p

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There is a difference between the 10-year exclusivity agreement that EA signed with Disney in 2013, as opposed to the lifespan / renewal period of EA's license for using the Star Wars IP in connection with this specific game.

 

The 2013-2023 agreement was just a contract wherein Disney agreed "Hey, EA, for the next ten years, in exchange for [REDACTED] we agree that we will not enter into any agreements with Activision, or Sega, or CD Projekt Red, etc., etc., etc., to produce new mainstream Star Wars games or develop any in-house -- you're the only one who gets access to the license for mainstream video games during that time."

 

Before that agreement, LucasArts made all kinds of one-off agreements with different publishers and developers to make Star Wars games, which is why you had Petroglyph making Empire at War at the same time that Pandemic was making (the original) Battlefront II, and LucasArts was making Republic Commando in-house.

 

Once 2023 rolls around (or, less likely, if they decide to use some escape clause before then), Disney/LucasArts can go back to that original spreading-the-license-around approach for future games (which, as a consumer, I hope they do), or they can go ahead and sign another exclusivity deal with EA or another company for future games. But that probably won't directly affect existing games. No one went around burning all the copies of The Force Unleashed II in 2013 when EA got the exclusive rights, and you can still buy Empire at War on Steam.

 

An ongoing title, like SWTOR does probably have some sort of renewal period (or conditions under which the license can be pulled from it), but whatever contract controls EA's continuing use of the Star Wars license for this game would have been inked back somewhere around 2006-2008, whenever development actually started. That's the agreement that would include terms for whether that license has to be periodically renewed and, if so, how often.

 

One caveat to all that: EA having this exclusivity agreement does give it some "skin in the game" when it comes to the Star Wars IP -- if SWTOR, based on its own performance / profitability, is sitting right on the borderline between EA keeping it running vs shutting it down, then taking away EA's larger interest in the IP might very well be enough to nudge it over the edge to pulling the plug.

Edited by DarthDymond
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Honestly I did expect Disney to shop around every time the gambling system called lootboxes is mentioned in the news Star Wars and Disney is mentioned along with EA and this is being mentioned in main stream news at least once a week now and with the new bills going forward will only increase so its hurting Disneys kid friendly brand.

 

But what happens to swtor depends on how angry they are with EA if Disney decide they want to distance themselves from EA then they could pull every deal and the game would shut down within 30 days of that happening look at Marvel Heroes.

 

Most contracts will have clauses that allow them to pull a deal if the company does something that will harm the brand name and well EA has done this so it effects all Disney properties licensed by EA.

Edited by keladoruk
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Possibly losing an exclusive license does not automatically mean EA would not be able to retain licenses for their existing products. That could happen of course but it's by no means given. Depends on terms of current license(s), negotiating, and Disney's licensing policy.

 

it's more likely Disney will revoke their license for all future games and any in the making, EA hasn't been doing anything good with the license for years and they have been treating their only SW MMO like dirt. their recent BFr2 is a disaster site and the next game that was in production was yanked from Visceral and hasn't been seen since because EA didn't like the story for that game.

 

What it amounts to is that EA has only managed one game with any success to the IP and ironically it's the one that Bioware has developed and run for them without the exclusive contract before hand and they are now looking to kill off.

If Disney has any hope in getting Star wars games into player hands, they can't rely on one big game company, it would simply be more profitable for them to pull the contract from EA and put smaller contracts into many hands. a more varied and dynamic star wars player base is needed.

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Unless they do pull the license outright, I suspect we've got at least a year left. If we consider anything drastic off the table, then most of what happens with SWTOR probably depends on how well Anthem does at this point. However, as someone pointed out in another thread, even if Anthem does well... it just seems unlikely SWTOR will benefit from it in any way, shape, or form so to speak.
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Someone made multiple threads on this subject and they got removed. His reasons were to cause a stir however!

I can't blame Disney, EA seems to have failed every SW game they made and they are reckless with how they handle their games and studios.

 

Yeah. The concerns are legit but you can't go spamming the forums. Plus as he was trolling then the other trolls who wanted to fight with him came out and then the whole thing ended up one big trollfest.

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What it amounts to is that EA has only managed one game with any success to the IP

 

I know a lot of people don't like mobile, but Galaxy of Heroes is many things, but unsuccessful it is not.

 

And it has more than a splash of TOR content - HK-47, Darth Nihilus, several Sith Empire mooks (Trooper, Assassin, and just now Marauder).

Edited by IanArgent
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They could "grandfather" this game since it predated the exclusivity contract with EA.

 

Doubt it that would mean maintaining a relationship with EA and by the sounds of thing EA have upset Disney so much they just want to distance themselves from the company so for Disney it would be cleaner just to drop EA and all deals with them.

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I don't blame Disney for shopping elsewhere, although I hope we don't lose SWTOR, at least not any time soon. Ideally, Activision or whoever Disney will turn to, can take over or build new stories in this era, or perhaps even continue this game or reboot it.

 

The game (code) is owned by Bioware/EA so it would close, and game companies are not really interested in MMO's anymore.

Edited by keladoruk
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The game (code) is owned by Bioware/EA so it would close, and game companies are not really interested in MMO's anymore.

 

The unfortunate truth. They could sell it, but I don't think anyone would want this challenge.

Edited by Eshvara
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The game (code) is owned by Bioware/EA so it would close, and game companies are not really interested in MMO's anymore.

The coding sure, but what of the characters and lore? I'd imagine Disney/LA hold that because it's still Star Wars. I'm not a business person but I'd think that just because Timothy Zahn wrote Thrawn, he doesn't actually own the character or exclusive rights, but maybe that's too simple of an approach.

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