Disney closes LUCASARTS, cancels ‘STAR WARS 1313.’ You DARK SIDE sumbitches!

Son of a bitch! Walt Disney’s cryogenic head has reared up, crushing LucasArts. They exist no more, the financial Death Star eradicating the studio that has enriched countless lives. Such is the furious fist of capitalism, I suppose. The destruction has taken with it Star Wars 1313, a game which had the rare title of “Star Wars game I actually give a fuck about.”

CBR:

Since its founding in 1982, LucasArts has been responsible for some of the most memorable video games of all time, including the “Monkey Island” series, “X-Wing,” “Tie Fighter,” “Grim Fandango” and a whole host of other hits over the last 30 years. Following the sale of its parent company, Lucasfilm, to Disney, many fans wondered what would happen to the game studio and its highly anticipated project “Star Wars 1313” — and while the wait has come to an end, it’s not a good news. Kotaku reports Disney has laid off the 150 LucasArts staff and shut down production both “Star Wars 1313” and “Star Wars: First Assault,” the studio’s current projects, effectively shutting down the studio. There are no updates as to whether these projects will continue in another capacity.

According to IGN, the studio intends to shift from internal development to a licensing model, which explains the vast number of layoffs.

“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,” a LucasArts spokesperson told IGN. “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.”