The usual mid-year AAA release slump is upon us, leaving many gamers staring at their current crop of titles while patiently waiting for Q3/Q4 to roll in. It’s a typically quiet time, but don’t mistake that as meaning the games industry is going into hibernation. Especially not this year. The next-gen is just around the corner, and news on upcoming releases is leaking faster than a BP oil rig in a submarine battle.
So let’s begin with the major announcement that kicked off this frantic news week – EA and Disney. The two powerhouse companies have joined forces for Disney’s Star Wars gaming push, meaning EA will pick up where the now all-but dead LucasArts left off. Disney may not be in everybody’s good books at the moment, what with the millions of Star Wars movies they plan to release and the closure of LucasArts; and EA are hardly the most loved company in the games industry either; but the thought of EA’s money and tech being piled into Star Wars games can’t be all bad news. Right?
(more…)
