Star Wars: First Assault, which emerged last October, is a downloadable multiplayer shooter. That's according to a Kotaku source, who told the site the unannounced game was originally pegged to be released this spring, but is now in limbo following Disney's high-profile acquisition of the Star Wars franchise last year. Image credit: Kotaku

　　According to the source, LucasArts parent company LucasFilm suspended all hiring and game announcements when it caught wind that Disney would take over the brand. First Assault was reportedly going to be announced in September, with a beta to follow by the end of the month and a full release sometime this spring.

　　LucasArts is now reportedly "bleeding talent" as developers wait to determine the fate of First Assault, as well as the potentially stalled Star Wars 1313.

　　As for First Assault, Kotaku's source claims it supports 16 players: a team of eight stormtroopers and a second team of eight rebels. Battles are said to take place in places like Bespin and Tatooine.

　　First Assault is also reportedly "step zero" to Star Wars: Battlefront III, a test of sorts for Star Wars shooter games that run on the Unreal Engine. If the game is successful, it could lead to the release of the long-in-development--and heavily debated--Battlefront III.

　　A LucasArts representative was not immediately available to comment.