Star Wars: 1313 'business as usual' for LucasArts

Today's announcement that Disney has purchased Star Wars studio Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion will reportedly not affect the upcoming video game title Star Wars: 1313, which is currently in development at LucasArts.

According to a statement from LucasArts (as first reported by IGN), it's "business as usual" for all internal projects at the studio.

The acquisition deal--which will see Disney release a new Star Wars film every two to three years after bringing out Star Wars Episode 7 in 2015--was discussed by Disney chief executive Robert Iger during a conference call earlier this week.

In the call, Iger spoke about Disney's plans to utilise the Star Wars license for games, revealing the that company will focus on social and mobile games internally, and rely on licensing deals to allow third-party developers to create Star Wars titles for consoles.

Star Wars: 1313 was first announced in May this year. The internally developed third-person action adventure game will see players take on the role of a bounty hunter navigating a subterranean metropolis, Level 1313, beneath the surface of the planet Coruscant.

At the time of its announcement, LucasArts had revealed that the game was being developed with the help of artists across the Lucasfilm organisation, including LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation Ltd, and Skywalker Sound. The game will be based on the Unreal engine and feature full-body performance capture.

According to LucasArts, the game will emphasise fast-paced combat, and the game's hero will use human skills and gadgets, rather than supernatural Force powers. In addition, the game will feature a combination of cover-based combat, platforming, and "playable cinematic gameplay."