‘FarmVille’ developers will create a mobile game set in the Star Wars universe
By Meg Dowell
A well-known game development studio has made a deal with Disney to develop and run several Star Wars-focused mobile games.
While fans of the Knights of the Old Republic and Jedi Knight franchises hunger for more story-focused Star Wars video games, Disney continues to make deals with studios known for creating popular free-to-play games.
As long as it’s Star Wars, fans will follow. Right?
Zynga – the developers of popular social games such as FarmVille and Words With Friends – are putting a mobile gaming spin on the Star Wars universe and its characters, THR reported.
Its success with past mobile games has allowed them to make a deal with Disney to use licensed properties to create another potential hit among mobile-exclusive social gamers.
Specifics about the game have yet to be revealed.
But Zynga’s CEO assured audiences he and the company’s team of developers are fans at heart. They seem dedicated to building a game that fans of this galaxy far, far away will enjoy.
The development studio will also take over the live services for the combat-focused strategy game Star Wars: Commander. Developed by Disney Interactive, this “freemium” mobile game allows players to create and join squads made up of other players in real-time.
Dawn of Titans developer NaturalMotion will assist Zynga in maintaining this game.
Other mobile-based games such as Galaxy of Heroes have captured fans by allowing them to unlock and play as their favorite movie and TV show characters in a turn-based combat format.
Previous free-to-play games such as Star Wars: Uprising failed to make the profits necessary to keep its servers running.
Do we need more mobile games? We’re going to keep getting them whether we like it or not. This is just the next step in Disney’s long-term licensing strategy to allow developers to use this and other Disney franchise materials to populate the gaming section of your app store.
Next. The 25 most influential Star Wars characters. dark
But while we wait for a PC or console-based game we can pay for once and do so without a multiplayer mode, more Star Wars is better than no Star Wars. Maybe.
Are you a mobile gamer? Will you give this one a chance?