LucasArts, RIP (1982-2013)

[DeadPoolX]

I just read on Kotaku that Disney has shut down LucasArts and laid 150 employees (which may or may not be LA's entire staff). This also means that previous LA projects, like Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313, are now cancelled.

Up to this point I've defended Disney's acquisition of LucasArts and LucasFilm, mostly due to their amazing work with Marvel Comics movies. Now I'm not too sure, given that they've closed one of the most iconic game studios ever created.

Hopefully they know more about movies than they do video games. If not, well... we still won't see anything worse that what Lucas himself did with the prequels, but I'd rather not see SW dragged through the mud again.

[Collector]

They still have a ways to go to catch up with Activision, but this gives them a good start.

[AndreaDraco]

They still have a ways to go to catch up with Activision, but this gives them a good start.

You summed it up very nicely.

If not, well... we still won't see anything worse that what Lucas himself did with the prequels, but I'd rather not see SW dragged through the mud again.

You too!

[El Ravager]

Very tragic, to say the least. And yet, in a very real sense the LucasArts that we knew and loved back in the '90s died a long time ago. The only truly laudable LucasArts products in recent memory (in my opinion, anyway) were the KOTOR games, and they weren't even developed in-house!

Also, DPX, I share your concern about Star Wars being "dragged through the mud again." The franchise has been irreparably wrecked; just let it die, already!

That being said, I was rather amused by your comment that Disney had "laid 150 employees." Did you perchance mean to say "laid off?" Or has Disney finally decided to abandon its "family-friendly" image entirely?

[DeadPoolX]

That being said, I was rather amused by your comment that Disney had "laid 150 employees." Did you perchance mean to say "laid off?" Or has Disney finally decided to abandon its "family-friendly" image entirely?

I hadn't intended to write that, but it'd be one hell of a pension plan.

[Maiandra]

That's disappointing. Not only for the loss of the in-progress SW games that looked promising, but also for the other IPs they owned.

It's always aggravating when a company buys out another, only to close (part of) them down right away.

Hopefully, they won't mind licensing them out to be worked on by other developers.

[Collector]

it'd be one hell of a pension plan.

Depends on who is administering it.

[Collector]

I am sure some, if not most have seen these by now, but these are fitting.

[AndreaDraco]

The second one is really awesome.

[Rath Darkblade]

I haven't seen the second one, which is (as Andrea points out) utterly awesome. The first, of course, comes from Grim Fandango (which is also awesome).

That said... Disney's decision is bone-headed.