14 DAY TRIAL // Publisher Electronic Arts has announced that it has taken charge of some of the publishing related duties linked to the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic from LucasArts, although no reason for the move was offered.
A statement from Electronic Arts says, “With this new agreement, certain publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities previously designated to LucasArts will shift to EA, so that all publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities can be centralized for efficiency.”
It also reads, “Lucasfilm will continue serving as a key partner, collaborating on design and marketing, and as a licensor of the property. Star Wars: The Old Republic is designed to redefine the MMO category by introducing BioWare’s signature storytelling and rich, emotional human performances to the genre.”
It's not clear exactly what duties have moved to Electronic Arts but the move was probably prompted by the experience that the publisher has with high profile releases.
Electronic Arts is also probably keen to have as much control as possible over Star Wars: The Old Republic, considering that it has invested a lot of money in the MMO and hopes to make it a success when it launches.
Reports suggest that investment in the development process has gone over the 100 million dollars mark with sources claiming it has reached 300 million.
The development process for The Old Republic is handled by BioWare, which has experience with the franchise thanks to the Knights of the Old Republic game it has created.
The team says that they are working hard to make the MMO more oriented towards narrative, aiming to make the player more involved in the events he takes part in, in part by offering meaningful choices and in part by delivering a lot of spoken dialogue for the genre.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is expected to be launch at some point during 2012.