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LucasArts Restructures, Moves More Development Off-Site

Posted by simoniker on from the gunganned-down dept.

Thanks to LucasArts for its press release indicating a significant restructuring of the company's internal development teams. It's explained that "31 people from the development studio were laid off as the company will be concentrating on fewer titles", and GameSpot has further details, noting "the publisher has farmed out development on its as-yet-untitled Episode III game to [recent Indiana Jones developers] The Collective", and "an informed industry source said the team attached to the early stages of development on Knights of the Old Republic 3 was let go in yesterday's layoff." We previously reported on earlier layoffs at LucasArts in April.

9 of 20 comments (clear)

  1. If it's worth saying once, it's worth saying again by LeninZhiv · · Score: 2

    I think this is exactly the message the gaming community has to offer the 31 new lay-offs: credit where credit's due

  2. Fewer titles? by mbourgon · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I had to do a double-take on this quote.
    31 people from the development studio were laid off as the company will be concentrating on fewer titles.

    Fewer? Fewer?! Fewer??!?!?!

    Hell, pretty soon I'll be working on more titles than they are. And I don't.
    --
    "Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
  3. Loss of talent... by dmayle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It must have Jar-Jar, because people don't seem to want to work at LucasArts any more. They lost Tim Schafer, noted for "work on Day of The Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango" who's currently doing work on Psychonauts. (I'm eagerly anticipating this.)

    I'm of the opinion that LusArts ditched what they were good at so they could try to milk the Star Wars franchise. Whatever happened to DOTT, and Loom, and Full Throttle? I used to eagerly await LucasArts new releases, and nowadays it's YASWG (Yet Another Star Wars Game)...

    1. Re:Loss of talent... by Lisandro · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I still can't beleive they could be stupid enough to can titles like the sequels to Grim, Full Throttle and Sam & Max. It's not like those games wouldn't sell well (and, looking back through LucasArts history, be any good). But just like you said, they went for the quick bucks with Star Wars franchises. Result? People get bored and don't care about the company anymore. Nice going.

      After seeing Family Guy cancelled, i thought no one could make poorer management decisions. Oh well...

  4. I have a bad feeling about this by genrader · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know Chewie, fly casual.

    --
    the Political Inquirer
  5. The only SW game that matters... by Picass0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...would be a new X-wing vs. Tie Fighter.

    I don't want to play an online rpg. I don't want to play a Starcraft clone. I'm bored with first person shooters. I just want another XvT.

    1. Re:The only SW game that matters... by hibiki_r · · Score: 2, Informative

      They made W-Wing alliance, and nobody bought it. I guess that the bigwigs at Lucasarts think that only FPS RTS and RPGs sell. Since space sims are not one on the list, we won't see a new XvT any time soon.

  6. In other news by Pluvius · · Score: 2, Funny

    LucasArts plans to change its name to "Star Wars Games," awaiting approval by its president, chairman, and majority owner, Satan.

    Rob

  7. Death of Lucasarts years ago by MemoryDragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think LA has been creatively dead for almost 10 years now. Face it, the best people left the company around the mid nineties. The once creative company just put out one garbage star wars game after the other. The spark of creativity which once kept this company running was lost back then.

    They tried to revive older franchises with mediocre sequels instead of getting the old peopled on board (monkey island) and the only good game in the last years was done by the ex Black Isle division which has reformed under another name (Obsidian)

    I think the doom of this company was the day when Tim Schaefer and others left the company. The final nail onto the coffin was the day they decided to focus on mediocre Star Wars games. (The ones which came out after X-Wing and Tie Fighter, which were both excellent)