Joystiq

LucasFilm registers domains for 'Star Wars Rebels,' 'Wookie Hunters' and others

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:15:00 EST

LucasFilm has registered a gaggle of domains for heretofore unannounced Star Wars projects, and while there are indications that at least some of them may be video games of some sort, whether that's a good thing depends on how you feel about Gungans.

The domains, which include StarWarsRebels.com, StarWarsWolfPack.com, WookieHunters.com and WolfPackAdventures.net (among others) were all registered by LucasFilm on May 6, the same day EA announced its exclusive agreement with Disney for all things Star Wars. That proximity, coupled with the fact that three of the domains appear to represent a series of Gungan Frontier sequels, indicate that all of these projects may be interactive in nature. Hit up the source link for a full list of the registered addresses.

LucasFilm registers domains for 'Star Wars Rebels,' 'Wookie Hunters' and others originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 May 2013 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA obtains exclusive rights to Star Wars

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:15:00 EST

Electronic Arts and the Walt Disney Company, which obtained the Star Wars franchise as part of its $4.05 billion acquisition of LucasFilm last year, have signed a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish Star Wars games.

"While we don't have any details to share today on specific titles, our development teams are already brimming with design ideas," said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. "The EA Studios that will develop these games are some of the most innovative and popular creative teams in the world, and include DICE and Visceral, in addition to the BioWare team, which is already developing for the Star Wars franchise."

The financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. EA will develop and publish new Star Wars games for the "core gaming audience" across all interactive platforms and "most popular game genres." Disney will retain certain rights to mobile, social, tablet and online games.

EA obtains exclusive rights to Star Wars originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 May 2013 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars 1313 'halted,' says LucasFilm

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

A LucasFilm representative confirmed that production on Star Wars 1313 and what's rumored to be Star Wars: First Assault has ceased following yesterday's closure of LucasArts by Disney. Speaking to the BBC, LucasFilm spokesperson Miles Perkins said, "Both current Star Wars games projects have been halted."

A LucasArts representative previously indicated to Game Informer that Star Wars 1313 could be released via external licensing. However, a Kotaku source told that site the chances of that happening are "effectively zero."

"It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans," the LucasArts rep told Game Informer. "We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we're just looking at different models rather than internal production... They're evaluating everything. There's always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing."

The last we'd seen of Star Wars 1313 was an "inaccurate" PlayStation Germany posting, which said the game would be available on PS3 this year. Leaked materials indicated Star Wars: First Assault as a multiplayer shooter coming to XBLA, although LucasArts had yet to officially confirm the game or any details surrounding it.

Star Wars 1313 'halted,' says LucasFilm originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumored 'Star Wars: First Assault' footage storms the web

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:30:00 EST

LucasArts never officially announced Star Wars: First Assault, but it was scheduled to launch this spring as a multiplayer shooter, according to Kotaku. First Assault is still in production, but it's caught up in a company-wide freeze following Disney's purchase of LucasFilm in September, according to reports.

And it looks something like this, Kotaku says. The website has two pieces of footage that it says are from First Assault, both cut from a trailer used internally late last year; the gameplay video shows action mostly in first-person, though there are a few scenes of third-person fighting. It's all in-game footage, including a few bugs and incomplete art, and it is an "older" version of the game, Kotaku says.

Rumored 'Star Wars: First Assault' footage storms the web originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Star Wars: First Assault is a multiplayer shooter

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST

Star Wars: First Assault, an unannounced game from LucasArts, was a multiplayer shooter designed to test interest in Battlefront 3, Kotaku reports. First Assault was going to host a closed beta in September, with a launch scheduled for this spring, but when Disney bought LucasFilm in September the project was put on hold, the website says.

The September beta timeline agrees with a leaked image promoting First Assault on XBLA, uncovered in early October.

Kotaku cites someone "no longer familiar with the goings-on" at LucasArts, but with knowledge of the project for the following information: First Assault was a downloadable, multiplayer shooter supporting up to 16 players in various Star Wars worlds, and was supposed to gauge interest in a rebuilt Battlefront game. After years of being passed around studios, having been nearly completed and canceled, starting Battlefront 3 from scratch would probably be a good call.

We've reached out to LucasArts for more information.

Rumor: Star Wars: First Assault is a multiplayer shooter originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney's mobile, social push improves its bottom line

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EST

Disney Interactive, the arm of Walt's empire that handles video games, saw an operating loss of $216 million for the fiscal year 2012, which ended on September 29. Loss for the quarter came to $76 million, an improvement of $18 million from Q4 2011.

Revenue for the year decreased 14 percent from 2011's $982 million, bringing 2012 to $845 million - the $216 million loss, however, improved from 2011's $308 million. Disney attributed the loss improvement to a focus on social games and decreased production of console games:

"Improved segment operating results for the year reflected an increase at our social games business.... The reduction in console games product development reflected an ongoing shift from console game releases to mobile and social game releases."

In 2011, Disney Interactive shut down all core studios except for Junction Point, the house responsible for the Epic Mickey series. Disney acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion on October 30, and the deal included LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, the Star Wars games and effects studios. During the acquisition, Disney said it was likely to develop social and mobile games in the Star Wars universe, leaving console games to licensed third parties.

Disney's mobile, social push improves its bottom line originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Angry Birds Star Wars is no longer far, far away, out now

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EST

Rovio catapulted Angry Birds Star Wars into hyper-availability today, the game now live on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 tablets, Kindle Fire, PC, and Mac. The developer promises over 80 levels of crossover larks, in which you guide the Rebel Birds through the trials and tribulations of deep-space physics as they flap their way towards, yup, the Pig Star.

Rovio also unveiled the above "cinematic" trailer, which offers an Angry Birds take on the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina scene from A New Hope. It's probably truer to the original than the digitally remastered re-release.

PSA: Angry Birds Star Wars is no longer far, far away, out now originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, LucasArts included

Jordan Mallory — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:31:00 EST

Disney has just announced its purchase of Lucasfilm Limited, the umbrella corporation responsible for all things Star Wars, Indiana Jones and pretty much anything else George Lucas has ever had his hand in. The purchase will set ol' Walt back $4.05 billion.

Industrial Light & Magic, Skywalker Sound and LucasArts are all included in the purchase price, meaning that Disney has not only found a way to profit from the production of movies that it isn't making, but also how to get Jar-Jar Binks into a Kingdom Hearts game.

The company also announced that Star Wars 7 exists and is aiming for a 2015 release date, which makes this the most insane thing ever. Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy will become president of Lucasfilm under Disney, and will also act as executive producer on "new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant."

Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, LucasArts included originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds Stars Wars sets coordinates for November 8 [update: platforms]

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EST

Angry Birds Star Wars is kicking into hyperdrive on November 8, Rovio today revealed. According to USA Today, the game is coming to iOS, Android, and Windows 8 PCs. Along with the above video, Lucasfilm and Rovio released the below promotional image.

According to Lucasfilm licensing and consumer products marketing VP Paul Southern, the above characters aren't just "Angry Birds dressed up as Star Wars characters," but they do have "personalities which are kind of similar" to their counterparts. We can already imagine the names: Luke Skysquawker, Chewpecker... actually, that's all we've got.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the game uses the physics of Angry Birds Space, but is set on recognizable locations from the Star Wars series. We may well learn more details after the Times Square reveal later today.

Update: Rovio lets us know the game is coming to iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac, PC (including Windows 8), and Windows Phone.

Angry Birds Stars Wars sets coordinates for November 8 [update: platforms] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars 1313 offers a peek into our very pretty future

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:15:00 EST

Star Wars 1313 may be our first look into the next generation of games - at least the next generation according to Microsoft and Sony. LucasArts' internally-developed third-person shooter slash Uncharted-esque third-person action game is the very definition of "early" for a game in development. "We're in pre-production," said Craig Derrick, LucasArts producer, ahead of a PC-based demo.

Further pushing that point: the team isn't talking platforms just yet, nor engine, indicating to many that it could be headed to Microsoft and Sony's yet-to-be announced console successors. The demo runs on an Nvidia 680 graphics card, which I'm told is the fabled "Kepler" architecture of the next generation. And the game is gorgeous for it. Both in cutscenes and in gameplay, the graphical detail is near-equal to that of Naughty Dog's latest efforts. Again, the game is in pre-production.

Credit's due here to LucasArts' Industrial Light & Magic, as well as Skywalker Sound and LucasFilm Animation, who are assisting on the project - no doubt - but few games look anywhere near this good at this point in production.

Continue reading Star Wars 1313 offers a peek into our very pretty future

Star Wars 1313 offers a peek into our very pretty future originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lucasfilm applies for 'Star Wars 1313' trademark

JC Fletcher — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

A strange new trademark application by Lucasfilm portends a new multimedia Star Wars franchise, including video games. The company filed for the name "Star Wars 1313" for use with video games, as well as toys, trading cards, sticker books, pencil sharpeners, online social networking services, and anything else that can possibly bear the Star Wars logo.

The document contains no indication of what "Star Wars 1313" means; we knew the series was set "a long time ago," but don't know if that translates to 700 years in Earth time. However, a quick Wookieepedia search reveals "CT-1313" as a name used by Boba Fett in a Star Wars novel. So it could be a Boba Fett-focused thing. Dengar's still waiting for his big break.

Lucasfilm applies for 'Star Wars 1313' trademark originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lego Star Wars sticking around for 10 more years

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Lucasfilm has renewed its licensing deal with the Lego Group for 10 more years, meaning if you have a kid right now he can grow up with a guaranteed supply of Lego Star Wars video games and toys. If you don't have a kid any time soon, look at this as an opportunity to delay growing up for another decade.

Lego is currently developing products based on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and will be following up its most recent Lego Star Wars video game, The Clone Wars, some time during the next 10 years, we'd guess. The Lego Star Wars series has sold more than 30 million units worldwide since its launch in 2005.

Lego Star Wars sticking around for 10 more years originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez resigns

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:31:00 EST

LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez has resigned, prompting the company to begin a search for new leadership. Kotaku reports that several members of Rodriguez's executive team have also departed. A LucasArts representative confirmed the change to IGN, noting that Lucasfilm's Jerry Bowerman will lead while a replacement for Rodriguez is sought.

"Darrell Rodriguez has resigned and we have initiated a search for a new leader," the statement read. "Jerry Bowerman - a member of the Lucasfilm Board of Directors and a games industry veteran - will be stepping in to lead the LucasArts executive team during this transition. Lucasfilm remains fully committed to making great games and we continue to invest in our business."

Rodriguez once dubbed the revitalization of classic LucasArts games -- such as The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition - a "passion project." With a spruced-up sequel already on the way, it seems the publisher will continue carrying out his vision, at least within the near future.

LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez resigns originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 May 2010 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LucasFilm trademarks 'Lucidity' game software

Majed Athab — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:45:00 EST

LucasFilm, parent company of LucasArts, is working on a new video game, so says a filing at the government-owned TARR (Trademark and Registration Retrieval) website. The title is called Lucidity and it's classified as "video game software with manuals sold as a unit," which sounds like your average retail, disc-based game. Digital distribution or DLC seems to be a possibility, as it's also classified as a "downloadable" title. That's about all the concrete information we've obtained from this filing thus far.

If there's anything else that would reveal more about the game, its title would be a good start. Let's see, what does "lucidity" mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it is "a presumed capacity to perceive the truth directly and instantaneously." Ah, we see. That tells us ... absolutely nothing. Quite ironic, too. What do you think is being worked on here?

[Via Superannutation]

LucasFilm trademarks 'Lucidity' game software originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 May 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings swings onto Wii, DS in Spring 2009

Ross Miller — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii

A trailer for Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings has popped up online. Watch as Indy gets thrown through a window, escapes floods, uses a whip, steals an amulet, and runs away from gunfire -- all without ever losing his trademark fedora. Yep, all in a day's work.

According to the video, it's coming Spring 2009 for Wii, DS, and an unidentified PlayStation console (it's already been rated for PSP and we know Wii games often see a PS2 port). This is great, LucasArts. Really ... but any chance of getting an Indy game in the vein of Indiana Jones and The Emperor's Tomb on 360 and PS3?

Oh, it all makes sense now: IGN's rumor; the vague response. Sounds to us like that project won't ever see the light of day, while Staff of Kings is LucasArts' "commitment" to the franchise. Is it possible to miss something that was never released?

[Via Mixnmojo]

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings swings onto Wii, DS in Spring 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Features, Action, Adventure, Galleries

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

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

The Indiana Jones game that LucasArts doesn't want you to know about ... yet originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Ten Unsung Games

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:50:00 EST

Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro, Nintendo Wii, Action, Adventure

Everyone knows about the good Indiana Jones games (because there have only been a couple), but do you remember the unsung games of Indy's yesteryear? Gnomeslair has compiled a list of the ten best unsung Indiana Jones games, and there's a few on there that really bring back memories. Although we'd have to argue and say that the Atari 2600 Raiders of the Lost Ark game wasn't really unsung ... people loved that game. Mostly because it was about the best you could do in 1982, and thankfully it wasn't the E.T. game.

Likewise with the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom arcade game that came out in 1985. That was a game that used a voice synthesizer ("Soon Kali Ma will rule the world!") and had that really fun mine cart sequence in it. Sure it got ridiculous, with Indy having to whip flaming hearts out of the air, but so what. It ate our quarters faster than anything.

Check out the list and let us know if these should be sung or unsung. It's really made us want to boot up ScummVM and play Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine all over again. Plus we might have to start bugging Nintendo and asking if Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures will be coming over to the Wii via the Virtual Console. And Lucasarts, when is your Indiana Jones game coming out, eh?

[Thanks, Konstantinos]

Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Ten Unsung Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lucasfilm combines animation, movie and game assets

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 21:25:00 EST

Filed under: Business

To say that the Lucasfilm group has a finger in every pie completely fails to capture how entrenched they are in several key areas in the entertainment industry. Revising the expression to include a ravenous ball of thumbs rolling through a quaint bakery might be more effective, if somewhat indicative of a strange and broken imagination. With film, game, animation and special effects divisions (amongst others) to keep track of, George Lucas and friends have decided to implement a single, software-driven database to manage all of their digital assets, essentially linking together the imaginations of the 2,000 or so people currently employed across the world. Lori Gianino, director of information systems at Lucasfilm, completely fails to make any of this sound even vaguely interesting by saying it lets them "eliminate data entry by pulling information from other systems."

What she really should be saying is something along the lines of, "This universal database will give those working on our next-gen games a considerable advantage, as they'll have direct access to all the assets from our various productions. That's really awesome and stuff." Once the system is fully implemented, it is expected to house just about every piece of every puzzle, including live-action frames, motion capture data and even in-progress special effects shots. The forthcoming Indiana Jones game, for instance, can only hope to gain from an increased synergy with those involved with the fourth movie in the action archeology series. Even original titles that aim to be cinematic in nature can look to benefit from sharing assets with Lucasfilm's stable of, err, films.

The unified data management system also provides scheduling and reporting tools which could certainly prove to be useful in an industry where game release dates often get pushed back and development costs get pushed higher and higher. Better management of time and budget will become all the more important in the next-generation of gaming, perhaps even skipping right past "important" and going straight to "essential." Large companies like EA and Microsoft are sure to have investigated or already implemented similar sharing strategies amongst their many developers.

Lucasfilm combines animation, movie and game assets originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Aug 2006 21:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars 30th anniversary game, TV shows update

Alan Rose — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation 3, Portable, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, Business

The Force was strong at the Licensing 2006 International trade show in New York last week. Lucas Licensing is coming off a record year of $3 billion in worldwide retail sales of its Star Wars consumer products. And despite the end of the movies, the franchise appears stronger than ever.

In addition to this year's launch of Lego Star Wars II and the DVD release of the unaltered original trilogy, fans of the Force will have a 30th anniversary game to look forward to in Fall 2007. Lucas reps also confirmed both the CG-animated and live-action Star Wars TV shows are scheduled to debut in 2008.

Now, if only they could get Galaxies out of its galactic funk.

See also: E3 euphoric over Indiana Jones 2007

Star Wars 30th anniversary game, TV shows update originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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