Disney keeps pushing Batuu to non theme park goers, and it’s getting to be kind of sad.
Nobody outside of theme park fandom actually want this. Please stop. It’s painful to watch.
First, it was announced that merch inspired by Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was coming to Target. This, of course, is in addition to books and comics featuring Batuu and Black Spire outpost that, frankly, aren’t resonating with most oldschool Star Wars fans.
(In fact, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #1 from Marvel Comics only sold a paltry 30,000 copies last year. This is very low for a Star Wars book, even though all Star Wars comics have been declining in sales.)
There’s even a new children’s book talking about Batuu.
Weirdly ironic, considering the Disney theme parks have been closed for much of the time Galaxy’s Edge has been open, and most kids probably haven’t even set foot in the place yet.
Now we got what might be the cringiest Disney Star Wars tie-in since Palpatine took over Fortnite.
Galaxy’s Edge is invading The Sims 4.
Wield a lightsaber, befriend a droid, and run missions in The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack. Hits PS4 September 8. pic.twitter.com/P9Xa4iS4vC
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 27, 2020
Disney, just stop.
Stop trying to make Galaxy’s Edge happen with the general public.
They don’t even care about actual Star Wars anymore. They’re sure as hell not going to care about some rando planet they’ve never seen in the movies that was concocted whole cloth by the Lucasfilm story group.
Many fans feel Batuu is like “knock-off Star Wars” and would’ve preferred Tatooine, Endor and Hoth to what essentially feels like a Moroccan flea market.
Batuu isn’t going to happen outside of the theme parks. Instead of following Universal’s lead on Harry Potter and letting people live the movies, you chose to go the opposite direction.
You created a billion dollar LARPing experience — except not really. And it’s not panning out the way you hoped.
I get it. You want to recoup those millions invested in this place, and you want to think that your Lucasfilm Story Group knows better than George Lucas and seasoned Disney Imagineers.
But they don’t. Star Wars is in decline. And stuffing these knockoff characters into The Sims 4 isn’t going to change that.
Fix Luke Skywalker… actual, heroic Luke Skywalker… and we’ll talk.
In the meantime, read the room and stop embarrassing yourselves.
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