LA a mess, TFU 3 possibly cancelled.

[JediAthos]

For any business 80 to 90% of what they do is "about the money" Not really a big shock.

[Char Ell]

First off, this report is rumor. If true however it would be par for the course for a new LucasArts president so IMHO that's what makes it believable. The last two LucasArts presidents came in and shook things up and rolled some heads so why shouldn't Paul Meegan do the same?

 

Jim Ward came in with the intention of growing LucasArts into one of the top 5 publishers with a mix of internally developed and externally developed projects. Obviously that didn't happen. But he did lay off a bunch of people and reportedly canceled KotOR 3 early on which sparked reports of doom and gloom at LucasArts.

 

Shortly after Darrell Rodriguez started he laid off some people and rumors that LucasArts was going to switch to externally developed games only swirled around the web. Again, that particular rumor didn't turn out to be true as LucasArts started internal development of TFU 2, Lucidity, and updated the Monkey Island games during that time.

 

After monitoring the news out of LucasArts for the past few years it seems to me that the rumors about game cancellations and development tend to be more reliable than the rumors about changes in strategic direction at LucasArts. I attribute this to likely overreaction by LucasArts employees understandably concerned about their future employment.

[Demongo]

So there won't be a TFU III. Big deal. Playing the first one was fun but i got bored of it after the 3rd playthrough.

As for the lego games LSWTCS had everything i wanted so i'm not going to cry for them either.

 

Unnamed project MUST = BF3 or Rep Commando 2. If its not, I will be mad.

 

And that.

[Nedak]

Hopefully this dude will restore LA.

[Prime]

Of course. TFU has a wider "appeal" than let's say, an X-wing/Tie Fighter game. In other words It's all about the money.

I guess so. But I'm not totally convinced, considering the amount of pent up rage there seems to be.

 

But that is just an observation of course...

[Ztalker]

Hopefully this dude will restore LA.

 

...by cutting LA off from the companies that helped create the last decent games? LA has a great history of creating games...full throttle, monkey island, tie-fighter and such...but let's face it. Kotor (Bioware), Jedi Knight (Raven) and Rogue Squadron 2 (factor 5) are better in everything then TFU. I can understand why they axe TFU, but it's one of the better selling games, despite it's flaws.

 

I would've created TFU2 together with another company (maybe the people behind Bayonetta, or some Japanese studio) to truly grab the essence of cool-over the top-hack 'n slash. That's were (Imo) LA's power lies. Being the keepers of a fantastic franchise called Star Wars that can live on forever if done properly.

[Nedak]

...by cutting LA off from the companies that helped create the last decent games? LA has a great history of creating games...full throttle, monkey island, tie-fighter and such...but let's face it. Kotor (Bioware), Jedi Knight (Raven) and Rogue Squadron 2 (factor 5) are better in everything then TFU. I can understand why they axe TFU, but it's one of the better selling games, despite it's flaws.

 

I would've created TFU2 together with another company (maybe the people behind Bayonetta, or some Japanese studio) to truly grab the essence of cool-over the top-hack 'n slash. That's were (Imo) LA's power lies. Being the keepers of a fantastic franchise called Star Wars that can live on forever if done properly.

 

Those are all old games that wouldn't have been re-created anyways (s

 

This new guy could bring something potentially great to the company.

 

Maybe he will actually allow BFIII or JK4 to be made.

[GeneralPloKoon]

I miss the old Lucasarts...

[Ztalker]

Those are all old games that wouldn't have been re-created anyways (s

 

This new guy could bring something potentially great to the company.

 

Maybe he will actually allow BFIII or JK4 to be made.

 

Which he won't, because, in the article, it is clearly stated he wants LA products to be created in-house. And Jedi Knight was developed tohgether with Raven soft and Battlefront was created together with Pandemic.

 

So in the worst case scenario, we will never see those franchises again and will only be given games that...could suck. Other companies often have a fresh look on the SW universe and won't drag movie characters into their games. Look at the Jedi Knight series. The respect it had for the original characters and setting is what made it great. Kotor took place thousands of years before the movies...and TFU...let's face it...all the movie characters are in there for the sake of nerd-gasm. Not that it's a bad game, but it's just not...original.

[JediAthos]

Which he won't, because, in the article, it is clearly stated he wants LA products to be created in-house. And Jedi Knight was developed tohgether with Raven soft and Battlefront was created together with Pandemic.

 

Those products may have been developed by outside companies, but Lucasarts owns the rights to the titles and their content, characters, etc...So, LA could do whatever they wish with them whether its nothing or developing new installments themselves, or if the rumor about no external development proves to be untrue, with another partner.

[Char Ell]

I miss the old Lucasarts...

And which LucasArts would that be? Darrell Rodriguez's LucasArts? Jim Ward's LucasArts? Simon Jeffery's LucasArts? Jack Sorensen's LucasArts? Or further back than that? (this covers the last 15 years of LEC presidents)

 

Which he won't, because, in the article, it is clearly stated he wants LA products to be created in-house.

Does anybody else find it strange that Paul Meegan reportedly wants to go the exclusive internal development route for LucasArts-owned IP and yet "canceled" TFU 3 (presumedly being developed internally) and will supposedly let most of the TFU 2 development staff go when they're done with that game?

[Miltiades]

Those products may have been developed by outside companies, but Lucasarts owns the rights to the titles and their content, characters, etc...So, LA could do whatever they wish with them whether its nothing or developing new installments themselves, or if the rumor about no external development proves to be untrue, with another partner.

True. The question is: would they dare try to create a sequel to an acclaimed series, knowing that the game must rival its predecessor for gamers to accept it. The external developers set the bar pretty high, I'm not sure LA is courageous enough to try and match that. Especially when the in-house developers of the last couple of years have a hit-and-miss record.

[Nedak]

Which he won't, because, in the article, it is clearly stated he wants LA products to be created in-house. And Jedi Knight was developed tohgether with Raven soft and Battlefront was created together with Pandemic.

 

So in the worst case scenario, we will never see those franchises again and will only be given games that...could suck. Other companies often have a fresh look on the SW universe and won't drag movie characters into their games. Look at the Jedi Knight series. The respect it had for the original characters and setting is what made it great. Kotor took place thousands of years before the movies...and TFU...let's face it...all the movie characters are in there for the sake of nerd-gasm. Not that it's a bad game, but it's just not...original.

 

Just because he wants to create more in-house games doesn't mean that he WILL create exclusively in-house games. He cut ties with a few companies, but not with Raven or Pandemic yet.

[GeneralPloKoon]

And which LucasArts would that be? Darrell Rodriguez's LucasArts? Jim Ward's LucasArts? Simon Jeffery's LucasArts? Jack Sorensen's LucasArts? Or further back than that? (this covers the last 15 years of LEC presidents)

 

Ah, well...difficult to say....but pretty much most of pre-Jim Ward Lucasarts.

[igyman]

Give me Jedi Knight 4 and I'll forgive LA for everything.

 

Did I miss Jedi Knight 3 somehow?! Or is it what people call that standalone expansion titled Jedi Academy?

 

I do agree though, that a new JK game would be awesome, if done properly. As for TFU, it turned out to be one huge pile of dung both in gameplay and story and as for the Force powers, it would have been better off had they titled it The Force Push Unleashed. My interest in TFU 2 i almost nonexistent. I've seen some gameplay videos and it doesn't look any different than TFU 1, only difference is one new Force power and that Starkiller is wielding two lightsabers. Now, if they added an ability to choose between one LS, two LSs, or a double-bladed LS, I might be slightly more interested.

[truJedi]

ttoootttaaly agree with the saber thing ^^^

And i do think it is the same as the first, but to an extent. I think they should have

deffinetly re created the force powers or put in some better ones, like force fury.......

yyeehhh NO!!! dumbest thing ever. HOWERVER, i do like the fact of the new jedi mind trick power they have brought in.

[Astor]

LucasArts Confirms Layoffs, ex-staffer calls it 'a massacre'.

 

One former LucasArts developer, let go from the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II team, called today's round of layoffs a "massacre," with an estimated 60 people let go from development and 25 from external production and QA getting the employment vibro-ax. The Force Unleashed II was said to have "gone gold" last Friday in time for its mid-September release date.

 

Interesting.

 

I have to wonder, though, if they've dumped the entire TFUII team, who will be responsible for fixing it if there are any bugs on release?

[Totenkopf]

The fans, perhaps. More likely, to the extent they address the issue, probably short term contractors or existing staff will have it dropped in their laps.

[jrrtoken]

I have to wonder, though, if they've dumped the entire TFUII team, who will be responsible for fixing it if there are any bugs on release?

LucasArts: A "patch"? What's that, a new marketing paradigm?

[ChAiNz.2da]

The fact they're cutting QA before release says a lot to me. Of course it went Gold, there's no one to test the product now and delay it

 

I'm not a fan of the first TFU, so this is just digging a deeper hole for TFU2

[Jae Onasi]

GameSpy's putting the layoff toll at over 80. I'm not sure how they plan to develop in house games with no game production staff.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

I have to wonder, though, if they've dumped the entire TFUII team, who will be responsible for fixing it if there are any bugs on release?

 

I miss the time when the internet was so bad the games needed to be bug-proof before release and no patches were necessary.

[Sabretooth]

Back then, patches would usually be there to included user-demanded features, options or additions.

 

Now they call it DLC and you have to buy it.

 

No please, remain seated, the violinists are about to play.

[JediAthos]

One thing I noted about the statement was that they said "fostering relationships with trusted external partners" which I think is good news especially with all the cuts in house and it debunks the original rumor that they were going to kill off all external development.

[Char Ell]

Yeah. IMHO some of the recent stuff that has been reported doesn't jive with things I've read in the past. Jim Ward was all about building out the internal studio and growing LucasArts but I'm not sure Micheline Chau and George Lucas were behind him as those plans never came to fruition. So to read the rumors that LucasArts is going to develop all their games internally now seems rather strange when that plan has seemingly been rejected already. Besides, LucasArts is limited to two studios right now. I'm not sure how much capacity they have to grow internal development. To me it seems logical for LucasArts to continue with the development model they've used on TFU 2, internal on PS 3 and Xbox 360 and outsource other platforms.