The staff of LucasArts received a notification that Disney is shutting down the developer. As of now, 150 people are laid off, specifically those were working on an existing projects called Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, therefore most likely cancelling the game. The name “LucasArts” will still be used by Disney as a license for games, but the heart of the company, the game studio, will shut down.
In a Statement, LucasFilm, parent company of LucasArts said “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. 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.”
Disney bought LucasFilm during October 2012, where they even acquired LucasArts and Star Wars franchise in the process. Back then, Star Wars 1313 was announced, but it seems that the game will not be completed.
There is a possibility that “Star Wars” games will be made by other game developers. In the past, the title’s licenses were sold to other game developers and had a taste of good success, such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Battlefront which were made by BioWare and Pandemic Studios. But LucasArts did try to make a game “The Force Unleashed”, but the sequel didn’t excite like how BioWare and Pandemic Studios’ games did.
LucasArts is also responsible for many well known game titles, such as Indiana Jones game franchise and Monkey Island adventure games.
Source: Kotaku
I will surely miss the MI series because I think Disney will shelve it even if there are any possibilities for a new version. Grim Fandango was good in my opinion as well.