Disney shuts down Lucasarts

Mal-Adjusted

http://kotaku.com/disney-shuts-down-lucasarts-468473749?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

Don't really know what to make of this. while (to my knowledge) Lucasarts hasn't made many in-house games themselves for a while, it's still sad to see it gone. plus the fact that 1313 is gone and we'll probably not be seeing any games that aren't directly related to the new films and an influx of shovelware.

I'd love this to be a late april fools day prank

Mr E

I was just about to post this. A sad day for gamers.

Retr0gamer

A sad day indeed but to be honest Disney were just putting down a lame horse.

Mr E

For sure, their glory days are long gone at this stage.

/wipes nostalgic tear.....

Burning Eclipse

A sad day indeed...

Tim Schafer needs to get his ass in gear and buy the rights to the IPs he worked on. Grim Fandango, I'm looking at you!!

Falthyron

"After evaluating our position in the games market, we've decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model"

Might this suggest a more open mindset for leasing to decent developers? The Monkey Island license and Ron Gilbert spring to mind.

EDIT: Nevermind. Ron Gilbert's twitter: 'I don't want to license MI. I created it, I should own it.'

johnny_ultimate

Yep, perhaps the loss of an iconic brand but one that has barely been relevant for nigh on fifteen years. Makes much more sense for Disney to consolidate everything under its Disney Interactive brand or whatever they're using now.

BlitzKrieg

So do you think Disney will start shopping the non-star wars licences around? Might get some fresh talent on some long overdue franchises.

Of course everyone would be biting to have double fine make a return to full throttle or grim fandango universes.


Or telltale games doing a third Manic Mansion?

CiDeRmAn

Oh no!
What on earth will we do with no one to publish such great games as Fracture?????
If Disney didn't do it the markets would've.
Anyway, with the new Star Wars films on the way, there'll probably be some new branch of the House of Mouse churning out games, and I wouldn't worry too much, can't be as bad as the awful stuff released over the lifetime of the prequel trilogy.
And, didn't Lucasarts stank the place up with The Old Republic MMOG?

Falthyron

To be fair though, internal LucasArts development has been non-existent for a long time. If we look at the decent games published by LucasArts...

Knights of the Old Republic - BioWare
Jedi Knight II - Raven Software
Star Wars Battlefront - Pandemic Studios
Knights of the Old Republic II - Obsidian
Star Wars Empire at War - Petroglyph

Republic Commando, however, was developed internally. I know their adventure game series' (Monkey Island, Grim Fandango) were also internal, but recent uses of these licenses were by outside studios, e.g. Telltale.

I am sad with the loss of their name as a publisher, and for the memories of the 1990's adventures, but I would hope Disney will give the licenses I mentioned above to reputable developers much like how LucasArts did.

Dr Bob

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Oh no!

And, didn't Lucasarts stank the place up with The Old Republic MMOG?

It was/is actually pretty good (and you can pretty much play it as a KOTOR game since a lot of it is instanced.)It basically suffered from Not Being World Of Warcraft, which seems to happen to most MMO's.
Also its a Bioware game , published by LucasArts.
..Anyhoo I've had a grudge against them since Rogue Squadron , which took the fantastic X-wing/TIE Fighter games and turned them into dumb console games (ok ok as console flight games go they weren't bad , but weren't a patch on the brilliant PC games...)

.ak

Grumpypants

A strange one as although Lucas Arts have not done anything in years their name still carries weight in the industry. Most gamers have grown up with them being one of the best developers at least for my early PC days they were.

the loss of 1313 is bad hopefully the studio, leaves regroups and picks up production under a licence agreement.

.ak

Will someone take the 1313 project on?

chavezychavez

Awww, I remember many fun filled hours with Outlaws.

Spear

Kotaku have a collection of their intros up:

http://kotaku.com/lucasarts-is-dead-lets-remember-the-good-times-468526559

BlitzKrieg

hmm I wonder if there'll be any big feck off sales on gog or steam in memory, got an urge to replay day of the tentacle...and I actually never did play indiana jones and fate of atlantis.

Doodee

I'd say this is probably a good thing.
Terrible to hear about lay offs etc but from what I had been told LucasArts wasn't a great place to work. A lot of creativity died because of the management that were there, and you had to walk on egg shells if Lucas himself was in any way involved.

This is all second hand information mind you. Never experienced it myself.

Oafley Jones

They were great in the 90s. No interest at all in 1313, my only concern is that we'll never see re-releases of the classics. I wasn't entirely sold on the up-dated graphics on the MI series - didn't stop me buying them on iPhone, Xbox, PC again - but I'd have loved to see at least DOTT getting some love.

thorbarry

As a few people are saying, I think this could be good for the future of Star wars games. 1313 looked awesome but so did Unleashed and Unleashed 2.

Hopefully now a decent publisher can get the rights to make a new good Star Wars game

VinLieger

.ak wrote: »

Will someone take the 1313 project on?

I sincerely doubt thats being killed, AFAIK when the Disney buyout happened all games production was halted, but after the reception it received at E3 last year theres no way Disney are gonna kill it, im guessing they will just move the dev team to their own studio whatever its called now

Mr Freeze

All they stuff they were working on is hardly just scrapped is it?

Will they not auction off all the different IPs, like THQ did?

peteeeed

just make a game based on the original trilogy and it will sell ****loads

cherryghost

They're going to release their games source codes in the coming days according to Kotaku

Grimebox

April fools..........?

Mal-Adjusted

Still holding out hope for some sort of "Knights of the new republic" game (pipedream i know).

The force Unleashed games turned out to be mediocre though (should have just gone with another Jedi Knight game), the kinect stuff was rubbish and TOR flopped after a month (why so many companies go down the MMO route is beyond me considering just how many fail, especially a second time!)

how many of those were made in-house i don't know, but star wars games in general haven't been relevent since KOTOR & Jedi Academy.

gizmo

Certainly a shame for those losing their jobs but from a gamers perspective this is oddly good news. With Disney now changing them to a licencing house it means we're far more likely to see new titles based on the IP they own now.

Double Fine bidding for Grim Fandango or Monkey Island rights?
Crytek looking at Battlefront again?
New Indiana Jones adventure game?
Someone, somewhere, getting the rights to Zombies Ate My Neighbours for a full on, HD remake?

Hell it may even mean they'll release their older titles on a variety of digital distribution store-fronts since you can't even buy most of their classics anymore.

Not too bad at all really.

VinLieger

Wow just had a proper read of the news, i assumed they would just pass 1313 to someone else cant believe it might actually be scrapped. What the hell are disney smoking? one of the first moves they make and already alienating the fanbase

Retr0gamer

If we get Grim Fandango, Outlaws and Full Throttle windows 7 source ports I'll chalk this matter up as a win.

Sarky

Don't think I've bought anything from Lucasarts since Afterlife. Too many crappy jedi games, not enough Grim Fandangos.

SirLemonhead

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If we get Grim Fandango, Outlaws and Full Throttle windows 7 source ports I'll chalk this matter up as a win.

Surely ResidualVM and ScummVM take care of Grim and Full Throttle?

Skerries

Sarky wrote: »

Don't think I've bought anything from Lucasarts since Afterlife. Too many crappy jedi games, not enough Grim Fandangos.

I find your lack of faith disturbing!

Kiith

I'd say we'll still see 1313 anyway, unless what we saw of it was the only part of the game even remotely complete. If it's anywhere decently along in development, it would be stupid to just can it.

VinLieger

Kiith wrote: »

I'd say we'll still see 1313 anyway, unless what we saw of it was the only part of the game even remotely complete. If it's anywhere decently along in development, it would be stupid to just can it.

Kotakue are reporting its very unlikely, which as you say is pretty stupid on disneys part, there was alot of hype and excitement around that game and to kill it like that is just bizarre

Retr0gamer

Am I the only one that thought 1313 looked awful?

Venom

Considering how long its been since Lucasarts have released an ok never mind good game, this news dosen't really bother me that much.

The glory days of Monkey Island, Tie Fighter, Full Throttle and Loom are long gone imho.

Kiith

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Am I the only one that thought 1313 looked awful?

Yes

I dunno, but it was a Star Wars game that looked, at least from a graphical point of view, amazing. I think most people just hoped that it would live up to the potential a proper Star Wars game should be like.

richymcdermott

i thought the 1313 demo looked very uncharted/ mass effect not thats its a bad thing but again it looks like a game again i played before.

Flying Abruptly

Recent webcomic on the issue

Dermighty

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Am I the only one that thought 1313 looked awful?

Graphically it looked well, but I'd never buy a game like that, Gears of War did a good job 6 or 7 years ago with that kind of game and I doubt they'll blow us away with a Star Wars clone of GoW.

Varik

Hey Disney, do you know what the kids like.....shooters.

Make a Republic Commando 2 and call it Imperial Commando

Professey Chin

Looks like the Star Wars game license is now with EA

Electronic Arts gets exclusive deal to develop 'Star Wars' video games, takes the helm from LucasArts

The future of Star Wars video games was uncertain following Disney's decision to shutter LucasArts, but now the company has announced that it has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Electronic Arts to develop games based off the franchise. Game developers DICE, Visceral, and Bioware will work on titles that are based in the Star Wars universe (the latter has already published games like Star Wars: The Old Republic). EA's Frank Gibeaua said in a press release that the games will be "entirely original with all new stories and gameplay," though they "may borrow from films." The deal doesn't give EA complete control over all Star Wars video game titles, however: Disney will hold onto the right to develop and publish titles in the "mobile, social, tablet and online game categories." It's not clear if EA will pick up on any of the work that LucasArts was doing before it was shut down last month, including Star Wars 1313.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/6/4306040/electronic-arts-gets-exclusive-deal-to-develop-star-wars-video-games

Myrddin

Chinpool wrote: »

Looks like the Star Wars game license is now with EA

Blue Lightsaber - Free
Purple Lightsaber - €2

Grumpypants

Star Wars built by DICE on Frostbite 3. Yip ill have some of that.

Antar Bolaeisk

Chinpool wrote: »

Looks like the Star Wars game license is now with EA


http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/6/4306040/electronic-arts-gets-exclusive-deal-to-develop-star-wars-video-games

Any hope that the shutting down of Lucasarts was a good thing has now been crushed.

Where's the Darth Vader noooooo! when you need it.

muppetkiller

Grumpypants wrote: »

Star Wars built by DICE on Frostbite 3. Yip ill have some of that.

Battlefront 3 !!!

Pushtrak

KOTOR 3, please.

Antar Bolaeisk

Pushtrak wrote: »

KOTOR 3, please.

They can even get Bioware to work on it, if only this were the universe with the good EA.

Varik

Pushtrak wrote: »

KOTOR 3, please.

I'd say they'll just bring out more Old Republic expansions rather than a new game.

Grimebox

Varik wrote: »

I'd say they'll just bring out more Old Republic expansions rather than a new game.

Please god no. Some of us are of the opinion that MMO's are a complete scourge on gaming... well just me

Canis Lupus

Grimebox wrote: »

Please god no. Some of us are of the opinion that MMO's are a complete scourge on gaming... well just me

He was probably referring to KOTOR.