(image belongs to Kotaku- see their version for funny annotations that say how we all feel) lr3g
Just recently we brought you the rumors that coming soon. Today was the formal notification.
According to a source reliable to Kotaku, the staff was informed this morning that LucasArts was shut down.
Publicly, Disney is games are effectively dead forever,” our source said.
A second source also told Kotaku this afternoon that the chances of Lucas licensing out 1313 are very slim. The odds are “effectively zero,” the source said.
“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,” LucasArts parent company LucasFilm said in a statement. “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.”
More than 150 people were laid off. Both of the studio’s current projects—Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313—were cancelled, although Disney says they will still use the LucasArts name to license games.
Since Disney purchased the studio last fall, there have been production of the games seemed to have stalled as no new info came out, which left many fans disappointed.
This news today is not entirely shocking to most of us but it does leave a lot of unanswered questions. Will Disney continue to produce LucasArts live on if all the staff is laid off?
How do you feel about the news?
