LucasArts has announced that its launch of the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided was an unprecedented success, with over 125,000 players signing up for the game in its first week. To celebrate the launch, the development team will be holding its first coordinated in-game community building event today by launching fireworks within the game to commemorate both America's Independence Day and the Star Wars holiday of Unification Day. Specific details concerning the locations of the hourly fireworks displays in the game can be found at the official Star Wars Galaxies website.

"As evidenced by the incredible player turnout during the first week, the launch of Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided was the single most successful introduction of an MMO to date," said Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "The game has broken all previous records for first week subscription totals, which bodes very well for the ongoing success of the game."

"Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided is the fastest selling MMO in history," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "We're ecstatic to be in a position with Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided where we can begin to offer events, such as the Unification Day celebration, so soon after launch. Throughout the development and into the launch of the game, the community has continued to grow stronger and more supportive and these types of events are a way for us to say 'thank you' to our players."

Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided was released late last month, and the development team is continuing to work on a variety of new features for the game including player-owned ground vehicles and player cities.

Check out some screenshots at Gamespot.