By Malathi Nayak

SAN FRANCISCO |
Mon May 6, 2013 5:20pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Co hermetic a multi-year chartering understanding underneath that a video diversion publisher will rise games for mobile devices, PCs and consoles formed on a “Star Wars” movies.

Disney, that bought George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd and a blockbuster sci-fi authorization for $4.05 billion in October, will keep a rights to rise online and mobile games, both companies pronounced in a matter on Monday.

They did not exhibit a financial terms of a agreement.

EA gamble large on a Star Wars’ universe of jedis and wookies in 2011 by releasing a “Star Wars: The Old Republic” – a large multiplayer actor online game, or MMO, that allows thousands of people to play concurrently for a monthly subscription price as against to a one-time purchase.

Analysts pronounced EA done a record investment of between $100 million and $300 million to build “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” though EA has not disclosed costs. It hired some-more than 1,000 voice actors for “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” that pennyless a diversion attention record.

But a diversion has struggled to keep players, call a association to offer 15 diversion levels for giveaway in Jun final year. And in November, it launched a free-to-play chronicle of a game.

Disney, that has a possess interactive games division, final month close a 30-year-old LucasArts games studio it hereditary with a merger to concentration on chartering a “Star Wars” code externally.

EA shares were adult 2 percent during $18.67 and Disney’s batch was adult somewhat during $65.17 in after-hours trading.

(Reporting By Malathi Nayak. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Disney sealed a recently acquired LucasArts gaming multiplication usually to agreement with Electronic Arts to make Star Wars games. The artistic studio founded on a talent of George Lucas had been in operation for over 30 years. The initial Star Wars film came out in 1977.

After profitable $4 billion for Lucasfilm and a Star Wars authorization final year, a rodent sovereignty dumped LucasArts artistic abilities in preference of a chartering agreement with EA. Considering EA’s lane record perplexing their possess fitness during a Star Wars MMO release, The Old Republic, that didn’t reap adequate paid subscribers to aver their estimated $300 million investment, it could be a gamble.

Electronic Arts formerly attempted their palm during a Star Wars theme

While EA looks brazen to gleaning ideas from a arriving recover of another Disney Star Wars movie, a new Episode VII, Disney is branch to Disney Infinity. It is a diversion height where Disney characters are accessible to come out and play in what is called a sandbox environment. The new charity was demonstrated progressing in New York by John Vignocchi, an executive writer during Disney Interactive. Infinity will concede users to emanate their possess account in a mix-and-match sourroundings rather than being relegated to a singular theme.

Infinity, identical to a set tip box, can be used with Wii, Sony or Xbox consoles. It’s entrance in Jun during $74.99 for a starter pack that includes 3 movement figures. Other characters contingency be purchased alone as good as a practical worlds in that they will play, such as Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

EA now has a rights to rise and tell new Star Wars games for console form platforms worldwide. Disney is holding onto a right to rise games for a mobile device arena, for tablets and for on line gamers.

Both companies gifted a slight boost in a value of their batch after a announcement. Tuesday, Disney was offered during $65.88, Electronic Arts started a day aloft though forsaken to $18.25 nearby day’s end.

By Malathi Nayak

SAN FRANCISCO |
Mon May 6, 2013 5:20pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Co hermetic a multi-year chartering understanding underneath that a video diversion publisher will rise games for mobile devices, PCs and consoles formed on a “Star Wars” movies.

Disney, that bought George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd and a blockbuster sci-fi authorization for $4.05 billion in October, will keep a rights to rise online and mobile games, both companies pronounced in a matter on Monday.

They did not exhibit a financial terms of a agreement.

EA gamble large on a Star Wars’ universe of jedis and wookies in 2011 by releasing a “Star Wars: The Old Republic” – a large multiplayer actor online game, or MMO, that allows thousands of people to play concurrently for a monthly subscription price as against to a one-time purchase.

Analysts pronounced EA done a record investment of between $100 million and $300 million to build “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” though EA has not disclosed costs. It hired some-more than 1,000 voice actors for “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” that pennyless a diversion attention record.

But a diversion has struggled to keep players, call a association to offer 15 diversion levels for giveaway in Jun final year. And in November, it launched a free-to-play chronicle of a game.

Disney, that has a possess interactive games division, final month close a 30-year-old LucasArts games studio it hereditary with a merger to concentration on chartering a “Star Wars” code externally.

EA shares were adult 2 percent during $18.67 and Disney’s batch was adult somewhat during $65.17 in after-hours trading.

(Reporting By Malathi Nayak. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Disney sealed a recently acquired LucasArts gaming multiplication usually to agreement with Electronic Arts to make Star Wars games. The artistic studio founded on a talent of George Lucas had been in operation for over 30 years. The initial Star Wars film came out in 1977.

After profitable $4 billion for Lucasfilm and a Star Wars authorization final year, a rodent sovereignty dumped LucasArts artistic abilities in preference of a chartering agreement with EA. Considering EA’s lane record perplexing their possess fitness during a Star Wars MMO release, The Old Republic, that didn’t reap adequate paid subscribers to aver their estimated $300 million investment, it could be a gamble.

Electronic Arts formerly attempted their palm during a Star Wars theme

While EA looks brazen to gleaning ideas from a arriving recover of another Disney Star Wars movie, a new Episode VII, Disney is branch to Disney Infinity. It is a diversion height where Disney characters are accessible to come out and play in what is called a sandbox environment. The new charity was demonstrated progressing in New York by John Vignocchi, an executive writer during Disney Interactive. Infinity will concede users to emanate their possess account in a mix-and-match sourroundings rather than being relegated to a singular theme.

Infinity, identical to a set tip box, can be used with Wii, Sony or Xbox consoles. It’s entrance in Jun during $74.99 for a starter pack that includes 3 movement figures. Other characters contingency be purchased alone as good as a practical worlds in that they will play, such as Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

EA now has a rights to rise and tell new Star Wars games for console form platforms worldwide. Disney is holding onto a right to rise games for a mobile device arena, for tablets and for on line gamers.

Both companies gifted a slight boost in a value of their batch after a announcement. Tuesday, Disney was offered during $65.88, Electronic Arts started a day aloft though forsaken to $18.25 nearby day’s end.

If we were walking around Tokyo Disneyland final May 7, we would have thought, “Wait, is a new Star Wars film sharpened already?” Hundreds of guest and park employees were garbed out in their best Star Wars clothes as a park’s “Star Tours: The Adventure Continues” reopened to a public.

The float is a 3D Star Wars knowledge that has over 50 incidentally comparison storylines where guest can float by a galaxies and correlate with a opposite characters “inside” a ride. But on that day, a pushing to applaud a lapse of a Star Tours extended a whole “authentic” Star Wars experience. Around 200 Disney expel members dressed adult in opposite costumes, mostly Darth Vaders and Storm Troopers and of march a unavoidable Jedi Mickey and Princess Leia Minnie.

And for a memorabilia collectors, a Disney-Star Wars sell was all over a park. Ever given Star Wars creator George Lucas sole a Star Wars authorization to Disney, we’ve enjoyed a impression crossovers, like Jedi Knight Mickey Mouse, Princess Leia Minnie Mouse, R2-D2 Donald Duck and even a rather treacherous nonetheless “it-works-if-you-really-think-about-it” Yoda Stitch.

For a float itself, hundreds of people lined adult to knowledge a tangible ride. They were greeted by R2D2 and C3PO as they entered a theater. The Star Tours might also be a good preview for a new Star Wars film that is approaching to be finished (though it hasn’t’ unequivocally started yet) by 2015 and will be destined by JJ Abrams, who’s also during a helm for a new Star Trek films.

[ via Rocket News ]

HEEEEEEERE’S ME-SA!

Hey, remember all those jokes about Disney bringing Jar Jar Binks behind since he’s “cute”?

They unexpected got a whole lot reduction funny.

Over during JoBlo, they did some digging into recently purebred domains and came adult with both good news and bad news.

The good news is that apparently Disney is looking into a Expanded Universe and holding that very, really seriously. Among a domains were Order67.net, that refers to a Sith and Jedi entering into tactful relations, and references to a Wolf Pack, a organisation of Clone-Wars epoch Stormtroopers. There were also domains for “Star Wars Alliance”, “Star Wars Rebels”, and “Wookie Hunters”.

That final had improved be Big Buck Hunter with Wookies behind a bowcaster. We’re only saying.

Unfortunately, there were also 3 domains for something called “Gungan Frontier”, that is, well, bad news.

We get it: Gungans are designed to interest to small kids, and we can substantially retcon a terrible injustice out of them. But even so, we wish Disney realizes that this is a bit like Warner Brothers phenomenon their subsequent $100 million live-action underline Scrappy Doo.

Disney appears one step closer to opening a Star Wars thesis park, if we can trust that recent comments from Disney CEO Bob Iger aren’t only a Jedi mind trick. After appropriation Lucasfilm final Oct for some-more than $4 billion, a thesis park competence enrich Disney’s large skeleton for a franchise.

“In further to a Star Wars underline films that we’ve already talked about, we’re also operative on opportunities for radio and a parks,” Iger pronounced during an gain call Tuesday. “It’s still really early in a process. We’ll announce sum as these developments evolve.”

Disney wrote in an emailed matter to The Huffington Post:

“For some-more than 25 years, a partnership with LucasFilm has helped move a talented star of Star Wars to life during a parks and resorts opposite a globe. We mix mythological Disney storytelling and creation with a iconic characters of a Star Wars authorization to ride guest of all ages to a universe far, distant away. We’re vehement to try new ways to move these stories to life.”

Disney’s existent parks have achieved unusually good as of late, with their handling income jumping 73 percent from a year ago, a Los Angeles Times reports. The association benefited from new areas during both a California and Florida park locations, according to The New York Times.

Disney World already announced skeleton for Star Wars-themed weekends, and rumors of an whole park have been present ever given reports emerged of a Disney consult seeking fans how they’d feel about one, as tweeted by Gawker editor Ken Layne.

This new Disneyland caller consult suggests there’s a lot some-more Star Wars thesis park things on a way. twitter.com/KenLayne/statu…

— Ken Layne (@KenLayne) March 20, 2013

What it competence demeanour like will be adult to Disney, though Star Wars comic book artist Tom hodges has some ideas. Disney, greatfully take note: We need a distraction of that bar where Obi-Wan chopped off that dude’s arm. We need it.

(Hat tip: Business Insider)

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Reuters: Electronic Arts, Disney Sign “Star Wars” Games Deal

Reuters reports that Electronic Arts and Walt Disney Co. have sealed a multi-year chartering understanding underneath that a video diversion publisher will emanate games for smartphones, PCs and consoles formed on a “Star Wars” movies. The financial sum of a agreement were not disclosed. Disney, that acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. and a “Star Wars” authorization for $4.05 billion in October, will keep a rights to furnish online and mobile games, both companies pronounced in a statement.  Read more

“While we don’t have any sum to share currently on specific titles, a growth teams are already packed with pattern ideas,” pronounced EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. “The EA Studios that will rise these games are some of a many innovative and renouned artistic teams in a world, and embody DICE and Visceral, in further to a BioWare team, that is already building for a Star Wars franchise.”

The financial terms of a understanding weren’t disclosed. EA will rise and tell new Star Wars games for a “core gaming audience” opposite all interactive platforms and “most renouned diversion genres.” Disney will keep certain rights to mobile, social, inscription and online games.

Now that Disney has “Star Wars” in a clutches, design a force to brief over into a thesis parks and radio ventures.

“In further to a ‘Star Wars’ underline films that we’ve already talked about, we’re also operative on opportunities for radio and a parks,” CEO Bob Iger pronounced Tuesday, according to MSN. “It’s still really early in a process. We’ll announce sum as these developments evolve.”

This will be some-more than value it if they can somehow build an captivate pitting Snow White’s dwarves opposite a container of wild jawas in a blade fight.

There’s conjecture over how large Disney competence go, from adding a few some-more attractions to all-out, code new “Star Wars” thesis parks.

If that’s a case, they should build a hulk Darth Vader helmet and call it “Sith Mountain.”

The association has reportedly begun gauging intensity patron response to a idea. Gawker’s Ken Layne tweeted an picture from a Disney consult that asked respondents this question: “How meddlesome would we be in visiting a ‘Star Wars’ themed land during a Disneyland Resort?”

IWOULDIWOULDIWOULDIWOULD!!

Sorry.

Disney’s thesis park business is already booming, MSN says. The association on Tuesday reported a parks and resorts shred rose 73 percent in a initial 3 months of a year to $383 million, and sales were adult 14 percent.

Contact Tony Hicks during Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks

or Twitter.com/insertfoot.

Walt Disney Co. boss and CEO Bob Iger, left, and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, right, side “Star Wars” impression Darth Vadar during grand opening ceremonies for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, a new 3-D captivate formed on a films in Disney’s Hollywood Studios thesis park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Friday, May 20, 2011. ((AP Photo/Disney, Kent Phillips))