We mentioned before that PhoneSaber, everyone’s favorite free iPhone dueling app, was pulled from the App Store over copyright issues (THQ, see, has sole mobile rights to all things Star Wars), but that it would soon be making it’s triumphant return. Now developer Mac Box is telling us how, and it seems the Force (Unleashed) will be with it, and best of all — it will still be FREE!
The new version, Lightsaber Unleashed, will have a strong link to the new multi-platform title Star Wars ®: The Force Unleashed™, which is out soon. Lightsaber Unleashed will feature exciting characters from this new game as well as vastly improved graphics, sound effects and optional dueling music (which was a popular request).
We’ve tried out the Force Unleashed demo on the PS3, and the crazy physics simulations therein pretty much blew our iPhone-loving minds. How will Lightsaber Unleashed fair? C’mon, they had us at “free”!
(Though the designers in us aren’t sure about the midiclorian levels of those icons… Hopefully they’ll be tweaked to something decidedly less nerf-herdery before release day!)
Phone Saber was one of the most popular and talked about apps pretty much since the day Apple’s on-board store launched. Hey, turn your iPhone into a sound-a-like Star Wars lightsaber? What’s not to love?
Well, for THQ — exclusive Lucas licensor of all things Star Wars for all things Mobile — infringement for one. Too their credit, however, rather than just getting Apple to yank the App, THQ brought it onboard, and now they write in to tell us:
We are also [along with the Force Unleashed] relaunching a much bigger and improved Phone Saber Unleashed in September.
No word yet on availability or pricing (still FREE? It would be great publicity… just saying!) but this has got to be hitting every cross-geek squeal point in the system.
May the Phone Saber be with us (again) shortly!
MacBox, the developer of PhoneSaber, has given word that they’ve had to pull the app from iTunes after a request from THQ wireless. The chat: friendly. The news: THQ has the rights to Star Wars IP on mobiles. The result: MacBox had to pull the app.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the awesome news. THQ is going to work with MacBox to make PhoneSaber not only official, but better with actual ‘canon’ sound effects. MacBox is hoping the app will remain free, perhaps in a promotional capacity for the actual THQ game, The Force Unleashed.
via MacRumors, Thanks to Bad Ash for the tip!
