The Indiana Jones game that LucasArts doesn't want you to know about ... yet

by Kevin Kelly { Aug 7th 2008 at 9:00AM }

Click to embiggen

I was lucky enough to be able to go up to George Lucas' ranch this Sunday to see a screening of The Clone Wars and to interview the man himself, along with director Dave Filoni and producer Catherine Winder. To top that off, they gave us an insider's tour of the inner working at Lucasfilm and LucasArts.

There's a gallery below filled with highlights from the tour, including the LucasArts gaming lounge, the playtester's room, and their mocap studio. However, the real highlight was... tons of concept art from the "so secret we won't even talk about it" Indiana Jones game that is still forthcoming. It was all dated 2005, so who knows if it'll still feature in the game, but the above image of Indy watching the Golden Gate Bridge being built gives us hope. Find out more after the break.

Gallery: LucasArts: The Tour

Indiana Jones and the Golden Gate Bridge

When I asked the LucasArts reps about the game, they assured us that they were working on it, and that they would be announcing something... soon. Now, this is just my theory, but I'm hoping that the reason for the secrecy and the delay is that they're hammering out a contract with Harrison Ford to provide his likeness and voice in the game. Otherwise, why not just tell us they're working on a new game? It's one of the highest grossing movies of the year, so it wouldn't exactly surprise anyone.

There was a lot more artwork that they asked us not to photograph, but it showed Indy in various locales: in an elephant chase, on a zeppelin, watching a Chinese dragon parade in China (is Short Round coming back?), in a primitive diving suit staring out over an underground pool complete with Nazi chests in a corner, and the Orient Express. The pieces were all extremely large reproductions (about five feet by seven feet), and looked fantastic. Next trip, I'll distract someone and sneak one out while wearing an Octo-Camo suit.

While I would have liked to ferret out the rest, it was a whirlwind tour, and I was afraid I was going to get "vanished" by Lucas Security if I tried to get any more information. As soon as we hear anything from LucasArts about this game, we'll pass it on, but in the meantime we're hoping all this extra time and secrecy means something good.

Tags: concept-art, George-Lucas, Indiana-Jones, LucasArts, Lucasfilm

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

obo @ Aug 7th 2008 9:22AM

I want this game to be about Indy's spy days SO BADLY.

hoop @ Aug 7th 2008 9:42AM

I don't.

felixlighter @ Aug 7th 2008 9:47AM

Absolutely not. Indiana Jones as an archeologist on a quest to retrieve an artifact with mysterious powers before the Nazi's can get there filthy hands on it, is the only way to go.

Saria the Cat @ Aug 7th 2008 1:39PM

There's GOTTA be Nazis!

George1138 @ Aug 7th 2008 9:34AM

Is that shot of the servers just for LucasARTS or for LucasFILM? I'd be really surprised if those were all for the games division. Looks like the amount of computing power they'd use to made all the CGI for the movies. Imagine, that much power just to create Jar Jar Binks!

Misfit Toy @ Aug 7th 2008 10:02AM

I know. To think...he was in the land where some of the worlds most beloved characters were brought to life. Oh if only to see Jar Jar and the singing the alien from Jabba's palace in person!

brandon_r87 @ Aug 7th 2008 9:32AM

Looks like I, Robot to me. Hopefully the game is good, because the movie was just alright compared to the older ones. I'd be psyched if they made a SCUMM style adventure game for the next Indy title.

ChewyDogg @ Aug 7th 2008 9:38AM

Is it just me or are ALL of the testers using 360 controllers, even on stations labeled PS3?

Matthew @ Aug 7th 2008 9:40AM

I always forgot to comment on how the picture links say "embiggen" below them. Embiggen... what a perfectly cromulent word.

Misfit Toy @ Aug 7th 2008 10:05AM

Okay. Cromulent. At first I was like...I need to expand my vocabulary. I've never heard of that word. Then I took it over to Dictionary.com. Nothing.

So then I just did a Google search. It's all too clear now. Thank you for that small adventure.

t_m @ Aug 7th 2008 10:56AM

its getting really old though.

343 Guilty Fart @ Aug 7th 2008 1:16PM

It's on dictionary.com, whatchu talkin' 'bout?

Khuffie @ Aug 7th 2008 10:01AM

The TVs those testers are using are *horrible* for gaming. Everything on an HD cable for the 360 comes out *way* too dark.

baby sea tuna @ Aug 7th 2008 10:09AM

Ugh, I almost forgot that they were shitting out another Star Wars movie this month. Thanks for the reminder.

felixlighter @ Aug 7th 2008 10:12AM

Cartoon Network's Clonewars mini-series was better than all three of the prequels, so I have hope that this movie will be of similar quality.

JeepersCreepers @ Aug 7th 2008 10:29AM

No, I'm right alongside Baby Sea Tuna for some sad reason.

I loved the original Star Wars. I'm only 24, so it's not this "better when I was a kid" crap people try to argue. I just think being "just a trilogy" it held a lot more prestige... It had much more rich feel to it when I heard the name "Star Wars" pre-1999. Now, it's so over-saturated and raped that I don't really enjoy them anymore. It's interesting and I love the world, but I've OD'd on the world of Star Wars now from all these mainstream media releases that I'm completely numb to it when a new one is announced.

So while yes, the Clone Wars on CN was great in comparison to the prequels for some people... It still is another piece of the machine that has become Star Wars. Like 3 game releases a year, a new movie every other year, new toy lines, a TV show in the making, even SPACE BALLS is getting re-upped. The only thing I enjoy with Star Wars on it anymore is Episodes 3-6, and the comic Star Wars: Legacy.

t_m @ Aug 7th 2008 10:57AM

the cartoons were indeed awesome.. but this movie looks sucktacular.

BigD145 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:33PM

Another movie? I stopped paying attention back in the 80's, so I guess I'm not hip to things like that.

AwesomeTown @ Aug 7th 2008 10:51AM

Fate of Atlantis was awesome, and the story in the new game better be as good, or I will be disappointed.

FoA would have made a great movie...

Gregorius @ Aug 7th 2008 11:13AM

I agree that would have made a great movie. They made it into a Dark Horse comic years back, it's on the new Indiana Jones omnibus #1. I think it would be cool if they started making some animated movies for jones.

t_m @ Aug 7th 2008 10:59AM

was the clone wars movie as terrible as it looks in the trailers?

I can't believe they've managed to not only ruin the movies, but now seem to have managed to ruin the only good thing about the prequels too...

northerngeek @ Aug 7th 2008 11:01AM

We've known about this game since late 2005 IIRC, it was around at the same time that they started showing off ideas from the euphoria engine and their realistic models of material in real-time.

http://tinyurl.com/5n5b8z

It looked stunning and after Indiana Jones and the Emprorer's Tomb (my first Xbox title) I cannot wait for this.

Another link- it was 2006 that we first learnt about it:

http://tinyurl.com/5rsbzd

That has pictures, movies and a preview- does nobody else think this is the same thing- I have been looking forward to this game too much.

northerngeek @ Aug 7th 2008 11:04AM

Sorry, slight correction- it was indeed 2005 that they announced this game first.

http://tinyurl.com/indygame

LuckyEMS @ Aug 7th 2008 11:38AM

how can they not want us to know when they have an official page for it

http://www.lucasarts.com/games/indianajones/

Nightilfe @ Aug 7th 2008 1:29PM

Hate to say it... those paintings were on display in the LucasArts booth at E3 three years ago...

Unknown @ Aug 8th 2008 1:30AM

That's all extremely old news. Extremely. At E3 the party line was "No comment" about the game. Clearly something is up.

BigD145 @ Aug 7th 2008 1:35PM

Will this have more Area-51 drudgery?

Saria the Cat @ Aug 7th 2008 1:42PM

Yeah, somehow, after you add a certain amount of "adventure elements" into a movie/game, things fall apart. You don't want jungles, Nazis, magic, AND aliens. Sometimes simplicity is best. Once you throw in aliens and magic, stuff can easily go to hell. That's why the first Hellboy was such a cheesy movie, because it tried to have EVERYTHING.

Saria the Cat @ Aug 7th 2008 1:43PM

Same thing with Bloodrayne, actually. A vampiress and Nazis...okay. A vampiress and Nazis with jetpacks and big alien momma? A little much.

Young_Nastyman @ Aug 8th 2008 1:30AM

@Saris:

and yet, I feel the first Hell Boy movie was leaps and bounds better than the second. They were just showing off strange creatures the entire movie. It feels like everyone who saw the second movie were just there to see what else the director of pan's labyrinth has done, and it was advertised as such. It did well because of the director's prior success with Pan's Labyrinth (which to this day I do not see why people like that movie, it was complete garbage) not because of the story of Hell Boy.