George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. The acquisition transferred Disney ownership of Lucasfilm and its major properties, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones, in a deal valued at about $4.05 billion in cash and stock.
Lucas founded Lucasfilm in 1971 and built it into a major entertainment company around his films, production operations, and technology businesses. By selling, he ended his direct ownership of the company while retaining a role as a creative consultant during the transition. He directed Disney to dedicate much of the proceeds to educational philanthropy.
The deal led directly to a new era of Star Wars films. Disney announced Star Wars: The Force Awakens soon afterward, and it released in 2015, which explains why 2015 is a common mix-up. The sale itself happened three years earlier, in 2012.
Disney also acquired Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones rights, although Paramount retained distribution rights to the first four films and participated financially in later releases. Lucasfilm continued operating as a Disney unit, producing films and other projects across the Star Wars universe.