Lucasfilm Games opens the door to more studios after years of EA exclusivity

Lucasfilm Games is done putting all its eggs in one basket.

Douglas Reilly, an executive at Lucasfilm Games, said on The Game Business Show that the company is now more flexible about accepting pitches from different sized studios. That's a big shift from the EA exclusivity deal that locked down Star Wars games for years.

The results are already showing up. Two new Star Wars games dropped in 2026, and they're getting attention for doing something different.

Two new games, two different approaches

Star Wars: Zero Company is a turn-based tactics game that came out in 2026. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is an arcade racing game that also launched in 2026.

Reports on both games say they got rave reviews and critical acclaim, though one review of Zero Company noted the game feels patched together and under-ready despite having charm. So the reception isn't universally glowing, but the fact that both games exist at all is the point.

Galactic Racer even spawned a viral character. Biddy Blas became a social media hit, which is the kind of organic buzz you can't buy.

What this means for the future

Opening the doors to more studios means more variety. Instead of waiting for the next big-budget EA shooter, you might get a strategy game, a racer, or something else entirely.

For guys who grew up playing Star Wars games on the NES and Genesis, this is how it used to be. Different studios, different ideas, different genres. Some were great, some were trash, but at least there was variety.

The question now is whether Lucasfilm can keep the quality bar high while opening the floodgates. Two games in one year is a start, but the real test is whether this becomes a steady pipeline or just a brief experiment.

The Radazoid take

This is how it should have been all along. We grew up in an era when Star Wars games came from everywhere—LucasArts, Factor 5, Raven Software—and some of the best ones were the weird ones nobody saw coming. The EA exclusivity deal felt like putting a fence around the galaxy and charging admission.

Opening it back up is good news. More studios means more chances for someone to nail it, and even the misses will at least try something new. If you've been bored with the same old Star Wars game formula, this is the best news you've had in years.