Disney have announced the revival of the Lucasfilm Games brand to encompass all things Star Wars and video gaming (and maybe other old IPs that Lucasfilm owns).
This doesn’t mean that they’re bringing Star Wars game development back in-house, however, and they will continue to work in collaboration with other companies like Traveller’s Tales for the upcoming Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Epic Games for Fortnite collaborations and, of course, EA for everything from Star Wars Battlefront, to Star Wars Squadrons and Jedi: Fallen Order. You should simply expect to see the Lucasfilm Games branding front and centre on all future projects.
The company released a sizzle reel to highlight everywhere you can find Star Wars right now:
Their statement reads:
Lucasfilm’s legacy in gaming stretches back decades. And with Lucasfilm and the galaxy far, far away entering a new and unprecedented phase of creativity, so will the world of Lucasfilm Games — developed in collaboration with the finest studios across the industry.
StarWars.com is thrilled to reveal that Lucasfilm Games is now the official identity for all gaming titles from Lucasfilm, a name that encompasses the company’s rich catalog of video games and its eye toward the future. To mark this new era, Lucasfilm Games has launched social channels on Twitter (@LucasfilmGames) and Facebook (@LucasfilmGames), which will deliver breaking news and more directly to fans. You can watch a special sizzle reel celebrating the history of games from Lucasfilm below; the Lucasfilm Games logo, featured above, will appear in all future Lucasfilm Games titles.
Lucasfilm has a storied history in video games, with Lucasfilm Games having been founding in 1983 by George Lucas, with games such as Labyrinth and Manic Mansion coming out under that label. Those games really set the course for the company’s future, and after rebranding as LucasArts in 1990, they spun out a number of classic graphic adventures (or point & click adventures), including Escape from Monkey Island, Sam & Max Hit the Road, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
Of course, they also had their Star Wars games, TIE Fighter, Dark Forces, Super Star Wars and plenty more besides. There was a real glut of Star Wars gaming at the end of the 90s and into the early 2000s to tie in with the prequel films, but there was often a feeling that these titles were just as likely to be a hit as they were to be a Stormtrooper-esque miss.
When Lucasfilm was acquired by Disney at the end of 2012, they soon decided to shut down LucasArts in April 2013 (putting an end to development of anticipated games like Star Wars 1313 and First Assault), and penning a deal with EA in an exclusive partnership. There was the early success of Star Wars Battlefront, but it’s not always been smooth sailing, with the troubled launch of Star Wars Battlefront II and its inclusion of excessive microtransactions, and the cancellation of Project Ragtag. Still, they’ve rebounded of late with the well received Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Squadron and EA saying they’re “doubling down” on Star Wars games.
With the Lucasfilm Games brand returning, it certainly feels like Disney and Lucasfilm want to take a more active role in leading the direction of Star Wars gaming in the future. We’ll just have to wait and see what that really means.
Source: StarWars.com
hornet1990
Meh, without the people behind the brands success back in the day (Ron Gilbert etc) it’s just a logo. Much like the reappearance of Microprose – without Sid Meier, Andy Hollis et al it’s just an attempt to cash in on the reputation and nostalgia.