LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC and game developer BioWare Corp. will produce a Star Wars role-playing game (RPG) for PCs and "next generation" video game consoles.
The game, announced late Tuesday, is intended for release in 2002. The game will take place 4,000 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I, in the era of a war between the Jedi and the Sith.
A completely original storyline will be created for the game, although few details regarding plot or gameplay are available at this time.
It will be the first computer RPG based on Star Wars.
BioWare has distinguished itself in the computer role-playing game arena with Baldur's Gate, an award-winning fantasy game based on the Forgotten Realms license from Hasbro's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
An "incredibly exciting" opportunity
"This collaboration with BioWare further represents LucasArts' long-term strategy to build relationships with the world's premier game developers," said Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "BioWare has consistently delivered compelling games with rich and deeply engaging stories. Together, we aim to create a milestone role playing game set within a unique and largely unexplored area of the Star Wars universe."
"The opportunity to create a richly detailed new chapter in the Star Wars universe is incredibly exciting for us," said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, joint CEO of BioWare.
"We are honored to be working with the extremely talented folks at LucasArts, developing a role playing game based upon one of the most high-profile licenses in the world," added Dr. Ray Muzyka, joint CEO of BioWare.
Baldur's Gate was published by Interplay for Windows PCs in 1998 and recently shipped for Macintosh computers. A sequel, Baldur's Gate II, is currently in development.
BioWare's other titles include quirky action game MDK2, upcoming AD&D multiplayer online game Neverwinter Nights and giant-robot combat simulator Shattered Steel.
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