Well, it is official; Disney has shut down LucasArts for good, putting an end to the iconic development studio. According to the report by Kotaku, Disney has laid off over 150 employees and has also canceled both of the studio’s ongoing projects: Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault. Furthermore, while the development studio has effectively been dispersed, Disney still plans on using the LucasArts name to license software to license games. While Kotaku’s sources reported that both projects were effectively shut down along with the rest of the studio, Game Informer talked with another representative from the parent company LucasFilm who told a different story. The confidential source stated that there was still a chance for “Star Wars 1313” to continue, licensed out to third-party developers and publishing partners.
A game project that showed great promise. With LucasArts’ development team gone, will it ever see the light of day? Photo courtesy LucasArts.comNaturally, I was just as shocked as anyone when the news was released just earlier today. Disney only just acquired LucasFilm last year in a massive merger. LucasArts had been around for over 3 decades, providing us with a number of beloved Star Wars titles over the years, such as Star Wars X-Wing and Star Wars: Rebel Assault. In addition, LucasArts also was responsible for a number of successful PC adventure titles such as the Monkey Island series, Grim Fandango and Full Throttle. However, while the studio had hit its stride during the ‘90s with such titles, it has had trouble producing the same level of success in recent years. In fact, the Knights of the Old Republic series as well as the Star Wars: Battlefront titles where all outsourced to other development teams to work on. Meanwhile, LucasArts failed to find an audience for its FPS title, Fracture, when it was released in 2008. The studio’s latest game was Star Wars Kinect, a game that serves as an example of one of the studio’s most dismal creations to date.
Even with its recent shaky history, Star Wars 1313 showed great promise. I really hope that the project can continue on with another studio. The same goes for Star Wars: First Assault, but now only time will tell if these projects will survive the fallout and emerge victorious onto store shelves.
So then dear readers, what is your reaction to all this news? In the spirit of remembering LucasArts as they were, I will also ask: What is your favorite LucasArts game?
What to get in touch and talk gaming? Contact the reporter at preston.sotelo@asu.edu or via Twitter at @p_sotelo
