TITLE
Fall Of The Empire: How Inner Turmoil Brought Down LucasArts
AUTHOR
Andrew Reiner
PUBLICATION
Game Informer
YEAR
2014
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
Like a farm boy looking contemplatively upon two suns, in 2004 LucasArts was searching for answers and ways to right a video game business in disarray. Although Star Wars fans were pleased with several of the studio’s latest endeavors with the license – namely BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic and Raven Software’s Jedi Academy – George Lucas felt that his beloved galaxy was tapped for far too many mediocre games. Even the popular titles weren’t generating the revenue needed to sustain a healthy business model.Lucas entrusted the future of the company to newly appointed president Jim Ward, who previously held the position of Lucasfilm’s senior vice president of marketing, global distributions, and online for seven years. During his tenure at Lucasfilm, Ward was a key player in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’s media blitz, which raked in over $400 million in the box office despite its poor critical reception. He also helped guide Star Wars: Attack of the Clones to a successful run on the silver screen.
[…]
In 2005, LucasArts’ portfolio of releases consisted of just five titles, yet, according to NPD data, the company’s sales ranking rose to eighth, up from thirteenth in the previous year. Out of the top ten selling games that year, Star Wars: Battlefront II ranked sixth, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith held the eighth slot. The other titles – Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, Lego Star Wars (published by Eidos), and Star Wars: Republic Commando – all sold well.
From a numbers standpoint, LucasArts seemed like it was well on its way to becoming a publishing powerhouse. Ward’s hope was that LucasArts would be a top-five publisher by 2008.
Behind the scenes, however, all was not well. Numerous LucasArts employees, all who wish to remain anonymous, recall the company spiraling out of control during this prosperous time.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
BioWare
Free Radical Design
LucasArts
GAMES MENTIONED
Fracture
Indiana Jones and
the Staff of Kings
Star Wars 1313
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
Star Wars: Battlefront III
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Star Wars: The Old Republic
PEOPLE MENTIONED
George Lucas
Jim Ward
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Canceled Games
PRINT AVAILABILITY
February 2014 (Issue 250)