Lucasfilm oversees Electronic Arts Star Wars games with weekly meetings

It's easy to think that Star Wars: Battlefront II is the sole result of Electronic Arts' work. That publisher taken the lead on developing and promoting the sci-fi shooter, which is available now on PC and consoles. But Lucasfilm is involved with everything.

[guyman]

That's only with regards to the story though...

[moomoo319]

Lucas definitely looked at more than the story and unless EA was hiding stuff they must have had an idea of what was coming lol

[RacerX]

Disney and Lucasfilm more than happy to step back from EA during this storm!

[-Foxtrot]

Still...I mean they honestly let this shitty story go ahead

A story which is canon to the massive Star Wars world and they let it happen. The development of Iden is p*** poor and ***SPOILERS*** she switches sides in the click of the finger. One minute she's this elite death squad trooper, then she comments on how the Empire treats people with their oppression (I mean really girl? You are so high up and you've never seen that before) then she joins the rebels making jokes about how many Empire troops she's taken care of.

It's awful and it's even worse that LucasFilm would abandon all the extended Universe stuff but allow this to go ahead.

[Arty84]

Hells as part of a high level death squad wouldnt they be one of the groups sent to do the worse stuff..the switch was stupid

[CaptainObvious878]

I viewed the angryjoe review and when he explained *****SPOILERS***** that part apart her switching sides instantaneously, without any build up what so ever, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

[gantarat]

It's look like Lucasfilms want Iden and Del met every major Star Wars character (which is necessary ?)

[_-EDMIX-_]

Huh? That sounds extremely unlikely I mean that would basically be like saying they saw something about the story and completely ignored every other elements of the game.

That doesn't really make any sense and I'm having a hard time believing that any company would license out something and then ignore every other portion of the project outside of the story

😂😂😂&# 128514;

No, just no.

[moomoo319]

Why does this guy have 22 upvotes. If you actually READ the article, they clearly oversaw elements of the game beyond just the story. They sat down to gameplay demos at least once a quarter. If this blindsided Lucas, it was the fan's reactions, not the state the game released in.

[Lon3wolf]

So now it's Lucasfilms fault, lol how much did EA pay for this article?

[UltraNova]

Its not their fault entirely but they share part of it since they obviously knew about EA's MT plans.

[Lon3wolf]

? How do they share the blame when they are only interested the story/characters and universe, spin that any way you want, but the fault lies with the publisher/developer who put such a horrible MT system in the game plus LF are controlled by Disney now...............

[UltraNova]

I m pretty sure we are not talking about the same company here. Have you heard of the control freaks called Disney?

[uth11]

They knew and was fine with the MT plans. That only changed when bad press started coming. Disney doesnt want bad press

[_-EDMIX-_]

It's not in either or

it's not trying to say it's one person's fault over the other at the end of the day these companies were pretty damn complicit in having this game release the way it released, I have a hard time believing that the company that owns the the license it's just going to ignore every other portion of the game.

I mean put it this way who the heck is paying you to believe it was only one company that did this in complete secrecy?

at the end of the day Disney and Lucas Films are not innocent in this I'm pretty damn positive they knew about the microtransactions and every other portion in this game.

They all have their place in this happening.

[itsmebryan]

Disney only cares about how much money they can milk out of a license. That is why they have a Star wars movie every year and so many marvel movies each year.

[uth11]

Its why Disney shut down Lucasarts and licensed it out to other developers. It means pure profit with little risk.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Also better games...

[DillyDilly]

They are only involved from a story point of view. But please guys by all means lets all blame Lucasfilm. THey will end up taking The Star Wars License away from EA quickly if the LucasFilm reputation takes a hit

[uth11]

It is ultimately Disney's fault. They shut down Lucasarts

[DillyDilly]

Or people that make games need to realize stop getting in bed with EA ?

[DVAcme]

That was a mercy kill. LucasArts was a shadow of its former glorious self. It was just a Star Wars game-churning crapfest. Double Fine and Telltale have filled that niche nicely.

[n1ghtw1ng]

Garbage interview with non-questions and non-answers. No clear answer on who took the call for the micro-transactions and progressions systems. What a waste of time.

[AnubisG]

I guess Lucasfilm also oversaw the development of Need for Speed Payback as well......

[CrimzonRazor]

I love how everyone points their finger at ea and pretends that disney and lucasfilms were not involved every step of the way, they knew and approved everything in the release code.

[dumahim]

So do you blame Disney and Lucas for Need for Speed?

[CrimzonRazor]

disney dont own the nfs ip why would they be involved with that. Your comment makes no sense.

[PiCOSMOiP]

@CrimzonRazor

The point dumahim is making is Disney/Lucasfilm don’t have creative control over gaming mechanics. So to blame them for the micro transactions, you might as well blame them for other s*** they’re not involved in either...

[PiCOSMOiP]

@CrimzonRazor

Your comment don’t make any sense. You obvious don’t understand business.

[_-EDMIX-_]

No, it sounds like you don't understand business

why would Disney and Lucas Films have zero idea about the content in a game of a property that they own?

Nobody saying that Disney is the one that ordered the microtransactions but I'm 100% positive this company was complicit I do not believe they were completely unaware of the content of such an expensive game. I mean that literally might be one of the dumbest things I've ever read of someone being so slow and naive as to believe a multi-billion-dollar company was just going to ignore the content of a game coming out of a property that bears their name.

No.

Makes no sense bud.

Electronic Arts might have put it in the game but Disney and lucas films were pretty damn complicit in the game releasing in that state.

[PiCOSMOiP]

@EDMIX

So you’re discrediting my credentials that I’ve worked with Disney/Lucasfilm in licensing then?

Okay bud. Probably the dumbest reply I’ve ever heard on here. Go ahead with your agenda. The evidence is mounting you don’t understand how licensing process in corporate businesses work. Disney/Lucasfilm isn’t going to comment on another company’s game mechanics/process like micro transactions, game modes, DLC, FPS mechanics. It isn’t Disney/Lucasfilms’ game. If it were and Disney/Lucasfilms had creative control, they would have developed the game themselves. Why do you think they licensed the game out? They don’t have the resources to deliver a high quality game. Disney/Lucasfilm don’t own the game, but they have licensing agreement to have their property included in the game their partner (EA) is creating. The only thing Disney/Lucasfilms has a say is characters, storylines, anything related to the universe in creative direction. The rest is on EA only.

Like I said, I’ve worked with Disney/Lucasfilm on licensing products. I’ve never heard them tell us how to create our products, only the rights and wrong on how their property should be displayed and treated. So I stand by my statement that this isn’t Disney/Lucasfilm fault. They’re trusting EA’s direction on everything else because they believed EA are the leaders in creating ‘high quality’ titles. Disney might be creative nuts, but not in the way you think. They have to police to make sure their brand is displayed correctly. They’re not going to tell EA how to design a game. That’s just f***ing silly.

Now did Disney have awareness of the game mechanics? Possibly, but that’s not on them. Likely went with EA direction because they’re taking the experts (EA) advice. Like I said in earlier comments, don’t be surprised if Disney pulls the deal under EA if battlefront 2 tanks. EA is already on Disney s***list for the bad press.

[uth11]

Of course Disney/Lucasfilm is involved. Nobody wants to see that in their zeal to condemn EA

[Nodoze]

The microtransaction strategy is ALL EA. Lucasfilm is NOT in the gaming business. EA recommended this. EA showed them the revenues from FIFA and said we can do this with $tar War$. In short the under estimated the consumer response.

This is ALL EA. Andrew Wilson is a SCUMBAG.

They destroyed Mass Effect, they closed Visceral, they destroyed NFS with the same ridiculous microtransactions, and now they have destroyed Star Wars. You have to be pretty freaking stupid to do that.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Lucas films are Disney don't need to be in the gaming business but it's very clear they okayed something like this being in the Star Wars game in the first place.

So are you telling me that this company is just completely negligent in everything they do?

Electronic Arts might have put it in the game but Disney and lucas films were perfectly fine with that arrangement.

I mean that's like saying my company allowed another company to use one of our properties and have it licensed out to them and we just have no clue that the game is now about pedophiles rapist murderers etc sooooo can you tell me how much sense that actually makes? I mean are we seriously being this slow and naive as to believe that a billion dollar company just completely ignored all the content coming out of this game?

[rainslacker]

I'm perfectly willing to accept that Disney accepted these MT in the game. In fact, I said this was likely the case when all this started to blow up.

Doesn't mean that they're any less appreciated by the consumer, or that EA isn't still a sh*tty company. I have no doubt that the idea for it was by EA. EA implemented it, Disney approved it. Both are to blame, there is no shifting of blame, nor does it make the concepts any better.

[Double_O_Revan]

This weeks agenda: WHAT THE F***ING F***!?!¿!

[frayed]

Oh for goodness sake. Yes, large corporations oversee business dealings with other partners. Some of this will be creative, some business strategy.

Honestly, I'm starting to lose faith that many of the complaints about this game actually had anything to do with legitimate poor customer relations and consumer unfriendly design.

This is becoming a hate train. All aboard! What about George Lucas himself!? Even though he sold the company 5 years ago isn't this really all his fault. After all if he never created Star Wars and made it so successful, publishers wouldn't be able to milk it so effectively! And, also, Hollywood. Aren't they really to blame? Wall Street? The Russians?

Seriously though. What does it matter!? The question is what are they gonna do about it. Gamers have exercised their right as consumers and had their voices heard. This is great! Well done. But now, instead of getting bored and finding more people to hate on for no good reason, why not actually engage with the company/companies and ask for something constructive. Lucasfilm could be one avenue for people to put forward their opinions or concerns. But casting them as villains in this doesn't really help - as there's not a single decision maker here (it's also counter-productive as people are actively petitioning them to end their licensing agreement with EA).

Unfortunately, I don't see this happening. All I see is people hurling insults at each other and anyone who decides to have an opinion that starts to sound more like a conversation than a tirade. Get rid of P2W. Not enough! Cosmetic only! Loot crates still evil! Rebalance the progression system? You already made me unhappy so I'm not listening to you!

Have some integrity and try to offer feedback rather than point fingers and hunt witches.

[PiCOSMOiP]

That’s what happens when you have a blogger instead of a journalist. Stupid people will sadly eat this up because they don’t know better.

[Gunstar75]

Both trying to work out how to milk this beloved franchise to within an inch of its life no doubt

[3-4-5]

Don't act like Disney wasn't ok with the Loot boxes. They were......until the backlash, then all of the sudden they distance themselves from EA.

They knew what they were doing.

[rainslacker]

Disney was the smart one here. I have no doubt they were complicit with the loot box implementation, and I'll even give them the benefit of the doubt they may not have really seen them as contemptuous as they are to consumers. It's not like these kinds of MT are anything new, and they may have just thought that it was just some people complaining.

Anyhow, Disney was smart, because they haven't actually publicly addressed the issue, and seem to be willing to not say a thing. This all blew up well beyond what it ever would have because of EA's mismanagement of the community when they addressed the issue in a belittling way on that reddit post, and it blew up in their face Since then, they've been scrambling to try and justify their reasons for including them, but they removed it because of the whole Belgium thing....possibly with their Disney overlords insisting due to the whole gambling ties. EA isn't prone to having an overlord though, so I think they're at a disadvantage, and they can't in any way talk crap about Disney in all this, because they wouldn't want to risk losing the licesnce

In any case, it's fun to watch EA squirm over this. Normally I'd think that it's overblown, but we, as gamers, have been complaining about this kind of stuff since the start of last gen, and EA has consistently ignored us, or belittled us, or has been condescending towards our concerns. So, while it may very well be overblown now, EA is reaping years of it's sowing.

[MetalGearAlex]

If you read the whole thing, it clearly proves that Disney/Lucasfilm was "in the know" and DID approve gambling marketed towards children. with the progression system and lootboxes and with the recent "Wilson lootbox" https://www.youtube.com/wat... video, that system by EA was no new thing so the excuse of "trial and error and testing/tweaking" does not fly. Disney/Lucasfilm was in constant contact with "weekly meetings" and so... none of how horrendous the microtransaction/lootbox system slipped by (or in any way, could have possibly slipped by) them. Aside from the horribly lackluster story.

[PiCOSMOiP]

Lucasfilm/Disney doesn’t check on the product. They check on their property only.

[_-EDMIX-_]

The product is there property....

That's like saying if Electronic Arts decided that every single character every bullet shot every gun obtained in every portion of the single player must be purchased in pieces after you purchase the game as a whole Are you seriously telling me that Disney would be so stupid as to completely ignore this?

You sure that's how a billion-dollar organization would handle something like this? I mean you can't be serious

😂😂😂&# 128514;

The blame is on Electronic Arts Disney Lucas Films , please stop trying to make it sound as if one or the other we're not complicit

all of them were complicit in this.

[PiCOSMOiP]

@EDMIX

I’m not going to waste my time disputing with someone that has no clue what they’re talking about and creating hypotheticals. Read my earlier comment on here. The blogger who wrote this article doesn’t get it either. It’s lengthy and explains the licensing process in detail for your viewing pleasure.

[TargusX]

Pwnt.

[PiCOSMOiP]

I worked with Lucasfilm on licensing after the Disney deal was made. I’ll say the approval process is long and very detailed oriented. Lucasfilm/Disney only checks to make sure the characters, universe, and stories are in par with their vision. Of course, they’re the gatekeepers and want to make sure their property is being handle at the highest quality. Lucasfilm doesn’t get involved with the product their property is being displayed on. I highly doubt they knew anything about the gaming mechanics of battlefront 2. They’re not gonna tell their partners how to create their own products (aka toys, video games, apparel, etc.). That’s why Lucasfilm license their property out. They do it for brand exposure, partners are experts in the field and Disney/Lucasfilm makes A LOT of money. If the sales become bad for Battlefront 2, I can see Disney pulling the plug on the exclusive deal. EA is already on Disney s*** list for the negative press. EA will have to choose wisely on their next steps with Battlefront 2. I’m interested on what the consequences will be.

[ruefrak]

Lucasfilm wants to micromanage everything when it comes to Star Wars. That was one of the big problems with Visceral's now-canceled Star Wars games. They couldn't change the look of anything without a sign-off from Lucasfilm, which would take weeks. They're the bottleneck that is going to keep any good Star Wars game from being made.

[PiCOSMOiP]

EA is the cause of Visceral’s closure and canceling the Star Wars game. If you remember, it open a can of worms about the single player games convo. Lucasfilm has nothing to do what EA has done.

[ruefrak]

Lucasfilm has everything to do with anything related to Star Wars. Just read this as a quick example:

"Visceral staff say that the creative cabal at Star Wars owner Lucasfilm treated them well, giving them flexibility and freedom, but one of the drawbacks to working with another company’s franchise was that they had to get approval for everything.

On an Uncharted game, for example, one of Nathan Drake’s costumes might go through a few rounds of iteration at Naughty Dog, then be finalized in a week. “With Star Wars you could be talking months—potentially years,” said one Visceral staffer. “Oh, would Dodger really look like this? What would his weapon look like? Potentially years of that. Would he carry this? Would that really work in the Star Wars universe? With Uncharted, they can build any world they come up with, because it’s their world. With Star Wars you have to have that back and forth… People think, ‘Oh it must be so cool to work on Star Wars.’ It actually kind of sucks.”

https://kotaku.com/the-coll...

[PiCOSMOiP]

@ruefrak

If you read my earlier comments, I mentioned exactly what you’re saying. Disney/Lucasfilm have control over their property aka character, stories, universal. You’re basically agreeing with everything I said earlier so why you disagree and have to poke the bear...who the h*** knows...

Everything you’re discribing is exactly how licensing your property works lol. It’s a long process...I can attest from experience working with Lucasfilm

[VTKC]

Must of been one hell of a week.

[zb1ftw777]

Sounds like this was written by an EA suit who is trying to take everyone down with them.

[TheOttomatic91]

clearly they should change it to daily

[Jon_Targaryen]

Lucas Arts: The game is good and all.. But those microtransactions...
EA: This meeting is over!