Wizards of the Coast Director of Marketing Greg Yahn announced on the WotC forums that the company was not renewing its Star Wars license and that it would end this summer, attributing the decision to “the economic downturn.”

“We know this news is disappointing, we wanted to make this announcement as soon as possible and thank you for being such great fans,” Yahn said.  “It’s been a fantastic ride with the Star Wars community and working with Lucasfilm.”  

The license to release new products ends in May, with WotC product available through August. 

Releases will continue as planned until the end of the license, according to the announcement.  In April, Masters of the Force minis will be released, including favorite characters along with rare creatures from the Dejarik Holochess game that have never appeared in the Star Wars CMG. 

The Unknown Regions RPG is also planned for April, including entirely new planets and mini-adventures for each world. 

The Dark Times Minis from the Star Wars CMG released this week (see “Star Wars CMG:  The Dark Times Minis”), along with Galaxy of Intrigue for the Star Wars RPG.