After confirmation that Droid Factory was dead, rumors began swirling of a 6-Inch Star Wars line being added to Hasbro's rebranding plans. Today those rumors were confirmed.

Over on USA Today, Hasbro has revealed that Star Wars will be rebranded as Star Wars The Black Series later in 2013, with both a standard 3 3/4-Inch line as well as a totally new entry into the 6-Inch market for Star Wars figures. You can read some of the details from the article in-text below, but I encourage you to click through for the full scoop.

Priced at $19.99 each, eight figures are planned for 2013 — Hasbro will primarily draw characters from the original Star Wars trilogy of films while also bringing in key players from the prequels. The first wave of four, due out in early to mid-August, includes Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing Fighter flight suit, fan-favorite droid R2-D2, bad guy Darth Maul and an Imperial Sandtrooper.

This is major news for a property that has kept to its roots for what is literally generations of collectors. Along with the revival of the films, this is another step in the dynamic direction for the franchise. And I know I couldn't be more excited, because I'm a tried-and-true 6-Inch collector who has always loved Star Wars figures, but still wanted a little more. I have waited decades for an announcement exactly like this one.

Just look at this beautiful figure. It's not perfect (and almost definitely photoshopped into that packaging), but it's still a move in the right direction. I'll be the first in line to buy him.

This will no doubt leave many collectors with an ill feeling, as they've invested decades of collecting into a single scale of Star Wars figures from Hasbro. But I see this as another opportunity to explore an amazing universe. And it's one that fits right inbetween the humble 3 3/4-Inch line and the high-end 12-Inch offerings from Sideshow Collectibles and others. In other words, this opens up Star Wars to an entirely new demographic of collectors, myself included.

The first wave, which is set for release later this year in August, is set to include the flight suit Luke Skywalker seen above, R2D2 to go right alongside him, as well as Darth Maul, and an Imperial Sandtrooper. Based on that character selection, it seems Hasbro wanted to make a first impression with a true balance of characters across eras and popularity. I think it's a great idea, and can't wait to see some more reveals from Toy Fair in a couple weeks.

I do already see a lot of things to like, including the sharp and character-specific packaging that includes a uniform numbering system. It also looks like a bundle of accessories might just be the norm, and the figure is definitely detailed and articulated enough to impress.

Star Wars The Black Series will probably go down as a decisive line for big-time Star Wars collectors, but it's already the biggest announcement of the year. The day they announce Boba Fett is the day I can finally lay my collecting burdens down and die a peaceful, content man.