Disney Kills Star Wars 1313, Lays Off LucasArts Staff

[Borsk]

BY CHRIS KOHLER, WIRED.COM

That noise you just heard was the other shoe dropping: Lucasfilm said today that it will cease internal game development at LucasArts, following the company’s acquisition by Disney in November.

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games,” read a statement issued by Lucasfilm. “As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization.”

Reached for comment by Wired, a representative said that internal development on announced games, like the next-gen shooter Star Wars 1313, had been ceased but that the company was evaluating its options as regards having those games completed by an outside developer. However, Kotaku quoted an anonymous source inside the company that said such options had already been explored, and Disney found no takers. So it’s looking quite unlikely that 1313 will ever come out.

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[Borsk]

The Lucasarts games that I love are from "a more civilized age" ... in this case, the 90s. So, I have to agree with the author that Lucasarts really died a long time ago. 1313, however, did seem to have some promise.

My biggest complaint about Star Wars games is that the people that make them seem to bank on the idea that it will sell simply because it's Star Wars. Therefore, it's unnecessary for them to make a truly great game.

In my opinion, this was the best Star Wars game that Lucasarts ever made. Apparently, IGN agrees.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

The real issue isn't so much LucasArts being closed, but the fact that it's the same old corporate take-over nonsense. Someone comes along a buys the company, management lies through their teeth with promises that nothing will change, and then within weeks (or months at most) quickly starts chucking out all the bits they didn't want in the first place and making massive changes.

LucasArts is gone. LucasAnimation is gone. (LucasLearning went years ago.) There isn't much left, and I don't see LucasBooks lasting long and it's unlikely that LucasFilm will last much longer as it's own brand either. ILM and SkyWalker Sound may well survive, although it's likely that SkyWalker Sound will also will disappear as its own brand.

Every new announcement coming out of Disney simply fulfills my intial fears ... it could well be "RIP Star Wars" in the very near future, with the franchise either being flushed down the toilet or changed beyond sensible recognition.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Apparently some of the LucasArts staff have posted this eulogy for the company. (Note: There's quite a few images, so takes a long time to load for those with slow internet connections.)

 

[darthskellington]

Very cool eulogy. Yeah, my fondest LucasArts memories are from the 90's as well....not much of a gamer anymore. It doesn't surprise me to see Lucas Arts go, but it's still a shame to see it happen.