Lucasfilm Games is moving away from relying solely on giant publishers, opening the Star Wars franchise up to smaller studios and broader genres. The shift follows the 2026 releases of Zero Company, a tactics title made by independent developer Bit Reactor, and Galactic Racer, an arcade racing game from Fuse Games. Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly told The Game Business that the brand wants to produce more mid-tier, double-A projects rather than focusing exclusively on blockbuster triple-A releases. [4][5]
Reilly explained that because Lucasfilm operates strictly as a licensor, it has become much more flexible about evaluating outside pitches. While teams do not need to belong to a top-tier publisher, the company maintains a high quality bar and generally prefers experienced developers over unproven teams. Reilly noted that Lucasfilm is exploring games of varying scales with unexpected partners to deliver diverse genre experiences across the galaxy. [4][5]
The flexible strategy marks a sharp turnaround from Disney's past approach, which saw Lucasfilm sign a ten-year exclusivity pact with Electronic Arts that faced criticism for limiting output. Even with the pivot toward indie projects, several big-budget franchise titles remain in development, including a third Star Wars Jedi entry, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Eclipse, and a remake of Knights of the Old Republic. [4][5]
