Disney shuts down LucasArts

[kainemaxwell]

http://kotaku.com/disney-shuts-down-lucasarts-468473749

[Ed Oscuro]

Not expected, but not really surprising either.

"We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles."

What better way to show your appreciation than to lay everybody off? Pretty sure there won't be any golden watches passed out either. I hate to be the one to say it, but if Walt or Roy were around they would probably be very questioning of this licensing model. Disney was supposed to be a place where magic was invented, not some last chance clearinghouse for the world's big properties.

The best thing I can say is that it started the careers of a bunch of people who deserve to work outside of a tall shadow, but I guess LucasArts (and Disney) won't be casting much of a shadow in this space anymore.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Wow, Disney is treating the Lucas brand stuff much different than they did the Marvel stuff in terms of cleaning house.

[Gameguy]

LucasArts hasn't been great since they stopped making adventure games, everyone involved with those games left to work with other companies ages ago.

[Aussie2B]

Oh shit. While I can't say I care about Star Wars games (or anything Star Wars), my fiance and I know a guy who works for LucasArts. If everybody is getting laid off, I assume he's been canned too. This is really sad. :( I hate hearing about mass layoffs.

[MoonTar]

The layoffs are worst thing about this. 150 people...

Also now I want to play the Monkey Island games all of a sudden.

[Graham Mitchell]

Another behemoth from the good ol' days bites the dust eh? I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

Most of the Star Wars games for the past decade haven't been great. Double fine is doing great, on the other hand...

[The 1 2 P]

I'm not sure which is worst, the fact that 1313 will never see the light of day or the fact that Star Wars: Kinect is now the very last Lucasarts game.

[WCP]

1313 must not have been very far along in development, or must have been having some other problems for them to totally just scrap it. It's a shame, because I was hoping this was going to be a big e3 game and would actually come out this November for both the PS4 and Infinity.

[Greg2600]

To be honest, I won't cry for 1313, as I really didn't understand the appeal of it. Frankly it just sounded like a way for them to get the concepts of the failed TV Live Action series to fans, but that too had a terrible concept. I definitely hate that LucasArts is gone, but they've not made much of anything in years, and the cancellation of the 360/PS3 Staff of Kings was the last straw for me. I imagine Disney felt it was a better idea to just can everything, because again if you look at the last 6 or 7 years the company has had a bad track record at producing games on budget.

[Collector_Gaming]

Not expected, but not really surprising either.

"We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles."

What better way to show your appreciation than to lay everybody off? Pretty sure there won't be any golden watches passed out either. I hate to be the one to say it, but if Walt or Roy were around they would probably be very questioning of this licensing model. Disney was supposed to be a place where magic was invented, not some last chance clearinghouse for the world's big properties.

The best thing I can say is that it started the careers of a bunch of people who deserve to work outside of a tall shadow, but I guess LucasArts (and Disney) won't be casting much of a shadow in this space anymore.

Creating Monopolies is the trend these days
Buy every company you can possibly buy out and then when your unable to man all of it... Start shutting it down
EA is one of the innovators of this trend of business practice in general.

No one cares about history or loyal fans of a company or franchise. If they don't make a quota to fill fat deep pockets higher up employees like ceo and company vp and such. Then it goes down the tubes.

I think personally if walt disney was still alive he would probably have a stoke seeing what has happened to his company.

[RARusk]

In the fall of 1991 I was employed by LucasFilm Games as a gametester. I did work on two games: "Defenders of Dynatron City" (NES) and "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (The Action Game) (C64, Amiga, PC - and credited within the game manual). It was a temp position and I was let go in early 1992 as these projects wound down. I tried to return to them but was unsuccessful. I left for Colorado in 1993 and haven't been back to California since. After being interviewed by Kotaku about three years ago (because of my GameFAQs work) I realized that I may be able to utilize my guides as a way to maybe return to the gaming industry. Although I have sent resumes to various companies my long term goal was to return to LucasArts Games.

As you can imagine, today's news has left me deeply saddened and gutted. I understand what has happened the last few years and the possible long term benefits to this new model but this doesn't make me any less hurt. I don't know if any of these potential projects will head east to Austin. I also don't know if I should try to focus on Disney Interactive, a company I hadn't paid much attention to. Right now I am throughly bummed and the cold, gray skies outside my window perfectly match my dour mood.

[frogofdeath]

A little bummed, as I thought 1313 had promise. But as mentioned, there must have been other issues if it was shut down this far into development.

hate to be the one to say it, but if Walt or Roy were around they would probably be very questioning of this licensing model. Disney was supposed to be a place where magic was invented, not some last chance clearinghouse for the world's big properties.

I think personally if walt disney was still alive he would probably have a stoke seeing what has happened to his company.
I'm not sure the reasoning behind either of these statements. Both men were shrewd businessmen and the Walt Disney Company has always been about making money. As creative as they were, both were humans with plenty of faults, even (maybe especially) in business practices.

[wingzrow]

LucasArts hasn't been great since they stopped making adventure games, everyone involved with those games left to work with other companies ages ago.

Doesn't everyone important who worked at Lucasarts work at Telltale games or Doublefine now?

[Daltone]

Doesn't everyone important who worked at Lucasarts work at Telltale games or Doublefine now?

Maybe Disney will licence Monkey Island ...

Edit: to doublefine. Telltale's games weren't point and clicky enough!

[Kitsune Sniper]

Maybe Disney will licence Monkey Island ...

Edit: to doublefine. Telltale's games weren't point and clicky enough!

Highly. Highly. Unlikely. I think they'll just throw everything that isn't Star Wars into the Disney vault now.

Well, at least we have Raven Software... they released the source code for Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast yesterday. I already grabbed it in case Disney demands a takedown.

[Gameguy]

Doesn't everyone important who worked at Lucasarts work at Telltale games or Doublefine now?
For the most part, I think a few people aren't with those companies though. At least Ron Gilbert announced last month he's moving on from Double Fine so who knows what's next for him, he's only been there for about 2 years so plenty of the important people keep moving around.


Maybe Disney will licence Monkey Island ...
To compete with their own Pirates of the Caribbean franchise....

I doubt it's going to happen.

[Daltone]

I can dream damnit! I would kill for a proper monkey island game.

[Aussie2B]

I think they'll just throw everything that isn't Star Wars into the Disney vault now.

So they'll come out every other year then? :P

[Collector_Gaming]

I'm not sure the reasoning behind either of these statements. Both men were shrewd businessmen and the Walt Disney Company has always been about making money. As creative as they were, both were humans with plenty of faults, even (maybe especially) in business practices.

The only thing that i recall disney ever doing shady was buying out that land in florida to make disney world at such a cheap price because they thought there was no way he could do anything with it (at the time it was a complete swamp land).

[Gameguy]

I can dream damnit! I would kill for a proper monkey island game.
Ron Gilbert is trying to work something out as he wants to make something else with the series, but even he's doubtful it would happen.


The only thing that i recall disney ever doing shady was buying out that land in florida to make disney world at such a cheap price because they thought there was no way he could do anything with it (at the time it was a complete swamp land).
When they filmed a nature documentary about Lemmings they decided to force them off a cliff as it would be more dramatic, killing them in the process. That's where the rumour got started that Lemmings throw themselves off cliffs because they're stupid. This was back in the late 50's.

Other incidences are recorded on various websites, including several deaths that occured at their theme parks.
http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney.html

[The 1 2 P]

Since Disney will be licensing out any future Star Wars projects(which for now means anyting mobile or social) theres still a chance they might license out games we actually care about like Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic 3. Not that I'm holding my breath but a small miniscule chance is better than no chance at all.

[frogofdeath]

The only thing that i recall disney ever doing shady was buying out that land in florida to make disney world at such a cheap price because they thought there was no way he could do anything with it (at the time it was a complete swamp land).
Actually it wasn't swamp land, but I digress. Enviromental issues aside Disney has never been the bastion of great business. Labor practices have had many issues throughout the years, from the animator's strike of 1941 (under Walt's watch) to child labor used to make many of Disney's fine products today.

From the creative side, there are plenty of issues with racial stereotypes and white superiority in both live and animated features from the House of Mouse, especially during the early years. Plus, one could say the horrendous princessification of young girls started at the beginning of Disney. Walt produced movie-after-movie where a ("pretty") damsel in distress is captured by an evil ("ugly") witch and needs saving from the handsome (white) princess.

I'm not trying to intentionally villify Disney, but I don't think they should be held upon a pedastal as creative gods. They were creative businessmen.

[Collector_Gaming]

Actually it wasn't swamp land, but I digress. Enviromental issues aside Disney has never been the bastion of great business. Labor practices have had many issues throughout the years, from the animator's strike of 1941 (under Walt's watch) to child labor used to make many of Disney's fine products today.

From the creative side, there are plenty of issues with racial stereotypes and white superiority in both live and animated features from the House of Mouse, especially during the early years. Plus, one could say the horrendous princessification of young girls started at the beginning of Disney. Walt produced movie-after-movie where a ("pretty") damsel in distress is captured by an evil ("ugly") witch and needs saving from the handsome (white) princess.

I'm not trying to intentionally villify Disney, but I don't think they should be held upon a pedastal as creative gods. They were creative businessmen.

Well I am not trying to put him up on a such pedestal but ya gotta keep in mind things have changed over the years.
You say child labor issues in terms of making a mickey mouse toy or something

Hate to break to ya.. if you wear Nike or DC shoes. I hope you write a thank you note to the 5 year old that probably made sure the shoe string holes were lined up right on your shoes or what not and those are just giants in the industry. Theres countless companies that stooped to those lows to save a buck these days. Hell even the company I work for has done that.

In terms of the earlier years. The racial problem. Segregation was a problem back then a very big problem. Black people were constantly being called the N word. Asians being called the C word (and not chinese either). and so on and so forth. They were forced to ride on the back of the bus. Use a different bathroom. Drink from a different fountain. Forced to take up slave labor like jobs to provide for their families. As a white person growing up at that time you kinda didn't understand the bad things about it. You were raised to believe this is how it was.


Good example of what I am talking about to side track from racial problems. Smoking. In cartoons today targeted towards kids. Smoking is not used for obvious reasons. Back then we didn't know that it would be a major cause in lung cancer problems. Infact theres pictures of walt drawing out cells in younger days sitting at the drawing table smoking cigarettes. Infact he even died of lung cancer according to Wikipedia.
We didn't know any better. Thats why Popeye smokes a pipe. Thats why most Warner bros cartoons of those times have characters smoking and even disney shorts and films. We didn't know any better.

Was it wrong? Yes I am not gonna argue against that.

But you can't slap a man on the wrist and yell "Bad" at him if he knows no other way.


Like when some of your old time army vets have a grudge against japanese people for bombing pearl harbor all those years ago. Its not the japanese as a wholes fault. They were just doing what they were told and they were led to believe that we were the spawn of satan and there was no way to really cross reference this back then.

[frogofdeath]

Collector_Gaming, I think we have the same basic outlook towards issues already mentioned, except maybe one:


But you can't slap a man on the wrist and yell "Bad" at him if he knows no other way.
Yes, yes you can. If not, the "bad" never changes.

Yes you need to look at people in historical context, but making claims that a person would roll in their grave or have a stroke is a way of putting that person on a pedastal. It's a way of saying that person is better and would not make modern decisions we find questionable or wrong.

[RARusk]

LucasArts Employees Hold Wake (http://news.dice.com/2013/04/07/lucasarts-employees-hold-wake/)

If the last paragraph is anything to go by Disney may not be through with the layoffs. Disney Interactive could be next.

[Polygon]

Yeah, this news made me pretty sad from a nostalgia standpoint. I can't really blame Disney though. Really, what was the studio really doing recently? Not much. Besides, it doesn't mean that all those IPs are dead. It just mean Disney is saying they don't need LucasArts to develop games. I'm hoping the revive some of the IPs that LucasArts has been sitting on. I for one would love to see them bring Tim Shafer on and make another Full Throttle.

[RARusk]

You mean give the Full Throttle and Grim Fandango IPs to Double Fine and let him make new installments? This would be a good way for Disney to make nice with the gamers in light of closing down LA. Wouldn't hold my breath though.

[PreZZ]

The last Lucasarts game i bought was Rogue Squadron 2 on the launch day of gamecube... not a single game since then interested me

[Polygon]

You mean give the Full Throttle and Grim Fandango IPs to Double Fine and let him make new installments? This would be a good way for Disney to make nice with the gamers in light of closing down LA. Wouldn't hold my breath though.

Yes, that would be very nice. But yes, highly unlikely too.

[JSoup]

For the most part, I think a few people aren't with those companies though. At least Ron Gilbert announced last month he's moving on from Double Fine so who knows what's next for him, he's only been there for about 2 years so plenty of the important people keep moving around.


To compete with their own Pirates of the Caribbean franchise....

I doubt it's going to happen.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Secret of Monkey Island

The marketing practically writes itself!

[Rob2600]

The last Lucasarts game i bought was Rogue Squadron 2 on the launch day of gamecube... not a single game since then interested me

All of the Rogue Squadron games were developed by Factor 5, not LucasArts.

[Greg2600]

I haven't enjoyed a fully LucasArts game since they were developed by Laurence Holland.

[Greg2600]

http://starwars.com/news/electronic-arts-selected-for-multi-year-agreement-for-the-future-of-star-wars-gaming.html


Industry leaders and creators of best-in-class blockbuster games, the development and publishing teams at EA will collaborate with the creative teams at Lucasfilm to provide audiences with all-new gaming experiences set in the ever-expanding Star Wars galaxy. As part of the agreement, EA studio teams DICE (Battlefield series) and Visceral (Dead Space series) will join BioWare (Mass Effect series, Star Wars: The Old Republic) in the development of new Star Wars games.

Electronic Arts replaces LucasArts. Casual mobile gaming will remain "in house" with Disney. No mention of Indiana Jones though.

[RARusk]

"I've got a bad feeling about this....."

Considering all of the hate gamers have towards EA this would not be a good way to "play nice" with them. However, we don't know what Disney will do in regards to the remaining non-SW/IJ IPs so hope is not entirely lost (at least not yet anyway).