With two critically acclaimed box office hits under his belt, George Lucas decided to explore other mediums of entertainment. However, licensing deals with JVC prohibited any Star Wars or Indiana Jones tie-ins, leading to the creation of several beloved original properties, such as Monkey Island.
From there, the company raised the bar for licensed titles before being dissolved by Disney. However, like a force ghost, Lucasfilm Games has risen, and solid titles such as Return to Monkey Island and Jedi: Survivor show signs of a rosy future. If Lucasfilm Games wants to avoid the same fate as before, they’ll want to avoid repeating their biggest failures.
10 Lousy Tie In Games
For years, Lucasfilm Games was credited for raising the bar for licensed titles thanks to classics such as The Fate of Atlantis, Jedi Knight, and countless others. Unfortunately, for every quality title, there were several that should be put into the garbage chute. Though visually impressive for their time, the Rebel Assault titles were held back by poor controls and limited interactivity.
The PlayStation fighter Teräs Käsi fell well short of the champion belt, especially when pitted against the likes of Tekken. Finally, after a long and troubled development, Indiana Jones’ Wii-exclusive Staff of Kings didn’t reach the level of success Lucasfilm had in mind.
9 The Cancelation Of Star Wars 1313
The game Star Wars 1313 would’ve served as a coming of age story for the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett, detailing his exploits in the seedy underbelly of Level 1313. Director Dominic Robilliard explained that the game intended to take the narrative in a darker direction with an M for Mature rating.
Unfortunately, Disney’s acquisition essentially put Star Wars 1313 on carbonate, and the trademark expired in 2015. Despite this, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy stated that the project may be revived in the future. In 2022, footage of the beta was leaked on YouTube which showcased some of the exploration and combat.
8 The Cancelation Of Battlefront III
With a solid pedigree of FPS classics under their belt, the UK-based Free Radical seemed like an ideal choice for the third entry in the original Battlefront series. Unfortunately, the transition to HD hardware, as well as the departure of former LucasArts president Jim Ward, made for a tumultuous development.
Allegedly, the poor reviews of the developer’s other title Haze gave LucasArts cold feet. Accounts differ as to the cause of the game’s cancelation. LucasArts accused Free Radical of missing milestones while the latter alleged that the publisher was resorting to “stalling tactics” before ditching the game entirely.
7 Their Relationship With Other Developers Soured
During the mid 90s to the early aughts, LucasArts’ partnerships with other third-party developers led to beloved franchises such as Factor 5’s Rogue Squadron and Pandemic’s Battlefront games. Unfortunately, sometime around the HD era of consoles, these alliances went through a rough patch.
LucasArts became reluctant over Factor 5’s proposed online Rogue Squadron title, culminating in the German studio’s partnership with Sony. Free Radical’s Battlefront III faced a long and troubled development before getting canceled. Even Obsidian’s pitch for a third KOTOR was rejected by the company.
6 The Cancelation Of Sam & Max: Freelance Police
Sam & Max: Freelance Police was to be the sequel to the duo’s beloved title Hit the Road with the original writing and voice over staff reprising their duties. Unfortunately, graphic adventure title got canned out of fears that the genre had ceased to be commercially viable.
With the Freelance Police‘s cancelation came several layoffs in the company’s adventure gaming division. Figures such as Dave Grossman and Michael Stemmle would form Telltale Games and made its own series of Sam & Max titles. Telltale Games also created the award-winning Walking Dead and Wolf Among Us.
5 Star Wars Galaxies
Before Bioware’s The Old Republic, Star Wars Galaxies was the first attempt to deliver an MMORPG in a galaxy far, far away. Despite initially positive reviews, Sony Online Entertainment’s foray into the franchise had its fair share of drawbacks.
Many felt the time and effort players were required to invest in order to play a Jedi character was excessive, especially when the penalty for losing three times was a permadeath. However, the revamped combat is widely considered the cause of the eventual massive decline in subscriptions. Years after Star Wars Galaxies was shut down, former SOE president John Smedley admitted that “stupid decisions” led to the game’s downfall.
4 The Cancelation Of Project Ragtag
Well-known for her work on lauded franchises such as The Legacy of Kain and Uncharted titles, Amy Hennig seemed like the perfect lead for a narrative-driven single player Star Wars game. Dubbed Project Ragtag, Visceral Games’ take on the franchise would have deviated from the usual Rebel vs Empire formula in favor of a heist caper akin to films like The Dirty Dozen.
Unfortunately, EA decided to devote more of its resources towards the multiplayer focused title Battlefront II, canceled Ragtag, and shuttered Visceral Games. Hennig speculated that the following backlash from fans and the press is what led EA to commission the single-player game Jedi Fallen Order.
3 No Knights Of The Old Republic III
The Knights of the Old Republic titles remain two of the greatest RPGs of all time. Bioware developed the first while its sequel was delegated to Obsidian Entertainment. The latter was eager to start work on a follow-up, but LucasArts President Jim Ward elected to have it made in-house instead.
Unfortunately, development of the third entry proved to be long and troubled. Disney’s acquisition only exacerbated this, culminating in LucasArts’ eventual demise. Although Bioware would bring the series into the MMO format with The Old Republic, the circle was still incomplete.
2 Star Wars Kinect
As Star Wars Kinect’s uneven collection of mini-games indicated, the force was not strong with this peripheral. Modes such as Duels of Fate and Rancor Rampage suffered from the imprecise nature of its motion-controlled hardware. Depending on how much reverence one had for the franchise, fans either loved or hated its quirky Dance Off mode which incorporated tongue-in-cheek covers of “Ridin’ Solo” and “YMCA.”
Tragically, Star Wars Kinect was the last Star Wars console title to bear the LucasArts name before the mouse gained control and dissolved its gaming division. This middling tie-in ended its decades-spanning company not with a bang, but a mere Jawa whimper.
1 DICE’s Battlefront II
Though it may share the name of Pandemic’s lauded 2005 FPS, DICE’s Battlefront II is a stain on that franchise’s legacy. Putting aside the emaciated single player campaign, laggy performances during matches, and the atrocious Darth Vader impersonator, the game’s implementation of a Pay-To-Win structure truly pushed the game towards the dark side.
DICE’s Battlefront II‘s loot crate system actually prompted an outcry from politicians who were incensed that a game based on a property aimed at children was possibly promoting gambling. Allegedly, even Disney had to intervene out of genuine concern that it would impact The Last Jedi’s box office results.
#Mistakes #Haunt #Lucasfilm #Games
