Official News From Jim Ward - MI5 dead?

[pwrof3]

Hey guys. I just received my March issue of Game Informer Magazine with an interesting article: An Interview with Jim Ward - President, LucasArts/ Vice Pres. , Marketing & Distributing, Lucasfilm LTD.

 

Read into this as you will:

 

Q: LucasArts used to be known for making really unique original properties like Day of the Tentacle, then fell back primarily on Star Wars products exclusively. Are original games going to be a focus for the company?

 

A: We have three main goals. One is to restimulate the Star Wars IP with high quality games. Secondly, we're going to reinvigorate the Indiana Jones IP, which has basically been stagnant for years. There's no reason that Indiana Jones can't be a James Bond and have a year-in, year-out great representation of that brand. And take advantage of the fact that, in the next couple of years, there will be a new Indiana Jones movie. The third leg of this is definetely new IP. There's a heritage built into the DNA of LucasArts, and that's creativity and innovation. We need to move beyond the IP that we have. We certainly lost that. We lost that as the console console marketplace came into being; it was very strong on the PC platform. Once the company missed the adaptation of the console platforms, we've been in catch-up mode ever since. But that's going to change.

 

And there you have it! Straight from Mr. Ward himself! Dies this mean no returns to past glory, like Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max, and Monkey Island? It sounds like it, but let's hope not!

Unfortunately, I do not have a link to the article at this time, but there should be one up on the web within a few weeks!

[lilguybrush]

Oh my god! I've just registered onto this forum and I've found myself faced with this? How depressing is that? I honestly do believe that there will be a Monkey Island 5.

 

If LucasArts don't make it then they'll probably get rid of the rights, then Mr Gilbert can buy them up and give us his Monkey Island 3.

 

Furthermore, if LucasArts don't make it then somebody will, it may not be called Monkey Island 5 but we'll know different.

 

If it does return then I hope that Guybrush's beard comes with it.

[Remi]

Not shocking, sadly(?).

 

Still... If you want LucasArts-styled adventures you have TellTale's "Bone" and Bill Tiller's "A Vampyre Story". Tim Schafer is taking his standard storytelling a step further with "Psychonauts". And who knows what Ron Gilbert's up to?

 

I don't think I'd look to LucasArts for LucasArts-style gaming anymore, but there's plenty of good stuff out there still.

[lilguybrush]

Doesn't Ron Gilbert have his own company? Grumpy Gamer possibly?

 

Those games good ones then? I'll have to check eBay the next time i'm on. Thanks muchly.

[Remi]

Well, none of them are released yet, but keep checking out http://www.mixnmojo.com for news on them. ;

[spotisdabombyo]

I don't think LucasArts will let go of the rights to make more Monkey Island/ Sam and Max/ Maniac Mansion games. They'll just sit on the licenses until the games have a "viable market" rather than let some other company cash in.

 

What strikes me as retarded is him saying "we're going to move beyond the IP that we have" right after saying "we're going to continue beating our dead horse IP." But I don't think he's saying "no" to possible sequels of our favorites, just that the priority is going to be new games, like GTA-rehash Mercenaries. I think they got fat and scared to make mistakes, and are trying to play it safe with what's hip and a sure thing. But that apparently is only marginally profitable and their trying to keep their head above water, making them even more afraid to take risks. So we get their version of Command and Conquer, their version of Halo. And all the Star Wars we can stomach. Some of the Star Wars is good, but none of the good ones are actually developed by LucasArts. Of course while this sounds stagnant, I'm not sure how progressive it is to say "I loved Monkey Island and want more of that." Do we become like the Star Wars fans then? But blah blah we know this already.

 

Of course Indy hasn't been done and redone to death yet, but the games feel off. I know the movies involve supernatural things to an extent, but the endings of Emperor's Tomb and Infernal Machine just seemed way too extremely out of character. Also reflecting on their half-assery is how Sophia is still psychic in Infernal Machine when the end of FoA showed she wasn't psychic, just possesed. Felt like the makers just read the back of box synopsis on Fate of Atlantis and did no character research at all. Which is lame cause Hal Barwood worked on both and he's one of the greats.

 

Quantity down, quality up, plz.

[Joshi]

I can't really see indy games becomeing anything good. All of the stuff Indy did in the movies wasn't as much the kind of action you could put in a game (hanging onto a tank as it goes past a cliff face and excaping snakes, seems to adventury for an action game, which they'll definately make). The only real action you could do it run and jump, and swing on your whip, and punch people. With a hell of a lot more innovative games coming out and out there already (psychonauts for example, and the prince of persia series kind of takes on indy and wipes the floor with him), I doubt Indy will have a leg to stand on, even with the new film coming out.

 

And frankly, I've had my doubts about LA making another MI for a while now, they generally don't like adventure games much anymore, proved with the cancellation of Full Throttle 2 and Sam n Max Freelance Police. With Telltale games and BTillers a vampire Story coming out, the adventure market will be coming back, but I really don't expect LucasArts to be behind any of it. Sad, but there you go, RIP LucasArts Innovativer adventure gameing, welcome, to the new age of adventure gaming from more dedicated companies.

[Samnmax221]

This Jim Ward sounds like some greedy money grubbing asshole. I Guese I can forget about seeing a new Indy ,MI, or MM game anytime soon. Personally I think Goerge Lucas should take the Indy License away from Lucasarts if they're not gonna do anything with it.

[jp-30]

Originally posted by Samnmax221

Personally I think Goerge Lucas should take the Indy License away from Lucasarts if they're not gonna do anything with it.

 

Jesus, did you even bother to read what Ward said?

[Herman Toothdecay]

Maybe he did, and if by "do anything with it" he meant "do something good with it". The recent "action-adventure" Indy games have sucked imo. The older Indy games (Last Crusade, Fate of Atlantis) were fun.

[The Tingler]

I loved Infernal Machine. Emperor's Tomb was pretty good but needed to be less of a console game.

 

While I appreciate Jim Ward's stance that new, original franchises are needed (couldn't agree with that more), you have to appreciate the old too. Sega & Sonic Team for instance - they're always paying tribute to their heritage (the recent Sega Superstars for example) and still trying to make new games (Billy Hatcher & The Giant Egg and Feel The Magic to give two recent ideas). And I think Mr Ward isn't thinking so creatively either.

 

An Indiana Jones game every year, like James Bond games? No. No no no no no. Bad Mr. Ward, that's a very naughty boy. Off to bed without supper.

There are 20(-21) Bond films to draw inspiration from. There are 3 Indiana Jones films (and a TV Series, but we'll ignore that as LA obviously has).

James Bond games rip off ONE fantastic 007 game - GoldenEye. Every Indy game seems wildly different.

Every Bond game since GoldenEye is rubbish. 1 year does not a good game make.

Get back to me when EA actually Get Bond Right. Hey, that could be the title of the next game!

 

And to spotisdabombyo, there's barely any suggestion that Sophia's still a psychic (at least to my memory), although Indy takes the piss a couple of times ("Some psychic premonition about the treasures I should have found?"). Admittedly I have to play that game again, so I can't remember 100% clearly.

[spotisdabombyo]

I think it's just dawning on them that demand for Star Wars things is going to die down after Revenge of the Sith is over and done with. Lots of times they got by making mediocre Star Wars product because people had just got back from the theater and they wanted to fight Darth Maul or fly a Jedi Starfighter, so things sold on being a quick flashy mini wish fullfillment instead of quality. More Indy games would be cool if they're thoughtfully done. Ward's implication that they should come out yearly is dumb though. They don't need to become like the slavers at EA. And with the talent exodus, I don't think LucasArts has many/any people left that would be able to properly do something like Monkey Island even if they were inclined to try.

 

Originally posted by The Tingler

And to spotisdabombyo, there's barely any suggestion that Sophia's still a psychic (at least to my memory), although Indy takes the piss a couple of times ("Some psychic premonition about the treasures I should have found?"). Admittedly I have to play that game again, so I can't remember 100% clearly.

 

If it was just that I would've appreciated their nod to Fate of Atlantis and been all ^___^ about it. But it's like on Palawan Island. I remember climbing a later and she was at the top, enter cutscene where her and Indy basically say "Sup," then she says "Be careful Indy, I sense danger." Indy says he knows about the Russians, and she says "No, not russians. Something else..." and then she is kidnapped by soliders. It's possible I misinterpreted, but her intonation was very ooo-i-am-mystical and seemed like it was supposed to imply she "felt a disturbance in the force" sort of. Possibly she was always slightly psychic and that's why the Nur Ab-Sal amulet chose her to possess. Either or, or whatever. /fanboy

[The Tingler]

Forgot that bit.

 

I think she's only mystical when there's a huge unearthly presence nearby. In this case, Marduk.

 

Or, on the other hand, have you seen Team America: World Police? She might be like that.

[monkey_05_06]

Well

http://www.petitiononline.com/monkey5/petition.html

is a petition for Monkey Island 5...You should probably all sign if you care about MI. I realize that with LA's loss of innovation/"caring about the fans"* and gain of a love for absolutely nothing other than money, even if they did make it, they would probably find plenty of ways to screw it up (pointy 3D graphics perhaps? no point-n-click? ah, let's do away with sword fighting, that's too violent!) but it would still be nice to have an official game IMO.

 

 

 

 

* "Felt like the makers just read the back of box synopsis on Fate of Atlantis and did no character research at all. Which is lame cause Hal Barwood worked on both and he's one of the greats." If you think about it, they did the same thing with CMI and EMI. I love the games, but it's not exactly easy trying to tie them in to SOMI and LCR.

[rengosg]

Originally posted by lilguybrush

Doesn't Ron Gilbert have his own company? Grumpy Gamer possibly?

 

Those games good ones then? I'll have to check eBay the next time i'm on. Thanks muchly.

 

He has...I don't remember the name, but he doesn't have the rights of the game...sadly.

[pwrof3]

Okay, so Game Informer never really put the article up online. So, to those of you interested in reading the whole article, I have scanned it and you can find it here:

 

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/lightspeed/index.html

 

It's a pretty interesting article if anyone still cares about LucasArts Personally I gave up on them after they abandoned what made them succesful and went to churning out some pretty crappy Star Wars games.

 

I fixed the link