The games industry is mourning the loss of a favourite studio after Disney announced that it would be closing LucasArts. The closure has raised doubts over the future of current projects Star Wars 1313 and First Assault and will also result in the loss of around 150 jobs.
The gaming studio LucasArts has been closed by Disney with up to 150 jobs lost as a result
A statement from Disney simply said that the company has 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.”
Fans are disappointed that they are unlikely to ever see the much anticpated Star Wars 1313 and First Assault, while there is a small chance of the titles being licensed, it seems unlikely once the development teams are split up.
The problems at LucasArts can be traced back to at least 2010 when incoming president of the studio, Paul Meegan, began making cut backs which resulted in 60 development staff layoffs and the cancelation of Force Unleashed III.
Soon afterwards important members of the team, such as writer Haden Blackman and creative director Clint Hocking began to leave and the studio seemed to lose its creative vision.
Nonetheless, the loss of the studio makes it a sad day for gamers and a the industry as a whole.
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS