Disney announced Wednesday they are shutting down storied game developer LucasArts. Disney acquired the developer alongside LucasFilm and all it's intellectual properties last year for $4.05 billion, a move which supplied both unease and anticipation for gamers in regards to LucasArts previously announced "Star Wars 1313." Status of the game is currently up in the air.
Disney informs GameInformer of the move, which sees LucasArts transitioning from a game development studio to a licensing studio, meaning they will handle siphoning off the "Star War" franchise to third-party developers, but won't develop on their own.
"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. As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles," reads a statement provided to GameInformer.
Kotaku is reporting around 150 people are losing their jobs today as a result of the shutdown. All development projects in LucasArts - "Star Wars 1313" and "Star Wars: First Assault" - have been cancelled, however GameInformer is also reporting "Star Wars: 1313" isn't necessarily completely dead. A spokesperson says this of the hotly-anticipated title:
"It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans. We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we're just looking at different models rather than internal production... They're evaluating everything. There's always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing."
LucasArts' last release was the poorly received "Star Wars: Kinect." The Studio was also responsible for the "Star wars: The Force Unleashed" titles, however the more popular "Star Wars" franchises like "Knights of the Old Republic" and "Star Wars: Battlefront" were developed outside of the studio, which sort of explains Disney's decision to make LucasArts a licensing house instead of a developing one.
In any case, whenever a studio shutdown like this happens and so many people lose their jobs, they often find new opportunities around the industry, as many other developers seek to pick them up. Best of luck to all involved.
