EA and LucasArts enter into new publishing agreement for Star Wars: The Old Republic

Electronic Arts today posted a press release outlining their renewed and revised worldwide publishing agreement for Star Wars: The Old Republic:

With this new agreement, certain publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities previously designated to LucasArts will shift to EA, so that all publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities can be centralized for efficiency.

The article mentions the game will launch in 2011, though no more specific info was given.

It’s interesting in that some of the responsibilities are shifting to EA from LucasArts. What does it mean for the game? Probably nothing. Or maybe something. One wonders if the recent changes and downsizing at LucasArts may have influenced this decision.

Update: Here’s a statement from Ray Muzyka, who made the original announcement (via Joystiq: )

“There’s not going to be any obvious change for gamers,” Muzyka said of the immediate implications of the deal, adding that, “It makes things easier for us to have everything under one roof, and that will eventually benefit players.” How so? Customer service was one example given. As for the role LucasArts will have in the game’s development going forward, Muzyka told Joystiq that the company will still be “very involved” in ensuring that the final experience is 100 percent Star Wars in content and tone.

We’ll keep tabs on it, and keep you posted.

Click to view the entire press release here.