Former LucasArts staff share secrets

By Robert Purchese Published 6 June, 2008

KOTOR 3 and Battlefront 3 among them.

Former LucasArts staff are letting all sorts of secrets fly including word on a Knights of the Old Republic MMO following a round of lay-offs earlier this week.

The staff cull began on Wednesday, according to Kotaku, and is responsible for over 100 terminations.

While imminent releases such as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Fracture will be unaffected, unannounced and less complete titles will apparently be increasingly outsourced.

Those mentioned were the much-rumoured and covered-up Knights of the Old Republic MMO, Battlefront 3, another LEGO Indiana Jones outing (the complete saga, perhaps), and a lightsaber game for Wii.

Presumably BioWare will make KOTOR 3 and Traveller's Tales can do the LEGO game. LucasArts has definitely not confirmed any of the above.

The reasons behind the sackings are unknown, although April-appointed boss Darrell Rodriguez (formerly EA bigwig) may have something to do with it.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (46) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #1 4 years ago

    But what about the Indiana Jones game? That looked pretty good. It was announced way before Force Unleashed but we've not heard anything for ages...

    Probably cancelled, which is a shame.

  • thefilthandthefury #2 4 years ago

    KOTOR! Not too keen about it being an MMO though.

  • Widge #3 4 years ago

    KOTOR to actually be "good" this time please

  • bad09 #4 4 years ago

    Job losses are terrible always but there is no doubt at all a shake up was needed there.

    It's made my day that now we have some official word (if a sacked employee can be believed) that BF3 is actually happening.

  • penhalion #5 4 years ago

    Can I get an "I told you so" for the Indiana Jones complete saga thing. After the review I commented that the reason they left so much stuff out of the current lego indy was to add the fourth film and make a complete saga version with all that stuff in.

    Why the heck do companies do that crap?

  • Maximilian #6 4 years ago

    To LucasArts: Tie Fighter 2 or GTFO

  • bad09 #7 4 years ago

    "Why the heck do companies do that crap?"

    Because the stupid masses will pay for it. It's a trick they've stolen from the DVD market.

  • sergeantdisco #8 4 years ago

    "To LucasArts: Tie Fighter 2"

    Oh god yes, I'd give a fairly integral body part for this.

  • Wash #9 4 years ago

    KOTOR: MMO by BioWare would rock.

    So would a new tie fighter game, and hopefully a return of Monkey Island, Grim, Full Throttle etc etc.

    Indiana JonesŪ and the Emperor's Tomb was pretty good, alot better than some ppl who prolly never got round to playing it. I reccomend gettign that to fill your indy boots till teh new en comes out.

    Still buying lego indy tho :)

  • paulf #10 4 years ago

    'KOTOR to actually be "good" this time please'

    oh come on, the first kotor is excellent - part 2 not as good but still quality

  • des #11 4 years ago

    KOTOR=best game ever.
    If KOTOR 3 is a MMO heads will roll,that is all i have to say!

  • Widge #12 4 years ago

    KOTOR has been the only game I've sold for sheer non-enjoyment. Ever. I traded it for Morrowind GOTY and life was much better.

  • bengray66 #13 4 years ago

    "To LucasArts: Tie Fighter 2"

    Oh god yes, I'd give a fairly integral body part for this.


    +1 I LOVED all the X-Wing (& Tie Fighter) games, they were pure class. The mission structures etc were superb!

    I remember my proudest moment of the entire series was taking down a star destroyer in an A-Wing! Took AGESSSS and about a hundred missile reloads :D

  • mingster #14 4 years ago

    Lol they also said the Fracture game they are making is 'Garbage'

  • thewolfiv #15 4 years ago

    bah KOTOR, the first was great, the 2nd so-so but who cares? i got mass effect on my Pc....

  • bad09 #16 4 years ago

    "If KOTOR 3 is a MMO heads will roll,that is all i have to say! "

    Same here but we all know LA will think of the money coming in month after month and go down that route :(

  • Lebowski #17 4 years ago

    Look, let's all stop messing about here and just to tell LucasArts to broker a deal with IW to make CoD4: Star Wars Edition. From crossbows to Force perks it'd be awesome.

  • gmmonkey #18 4 years ago

    YASS KOTOR MMO! Finally confirmed! Sort of..

  • paulf #19 4 years ago

    @ widge
    'KOTOR has been the only game I've sold for sheer non-enjoyment. Ever. I traded it for Morrowind GOTY and life was much better.'

    just curious - do you like the star wars films? I was just wondering whether enjoyment of KOTOR was linked to love of star wars, and whether it was such a good game if you weren't steeped in the lore

  • bad09 #20 4 years ago

    Lebowski, you sir, are a f*****g genius!!!! :)

  • Widge #21 4 years ago

    I was really looking forward to KOTOR, positive reviews, the premise of being able to run about with lightsabers, I mean what else could you want.

    Thought the opening to the game was dire, didn't like the combat engine, found the entire conversation structure awful with Light Side responses being po-faced earnest dullness with the Dark Side coming across as some sort of stroppy teenager rather than the icy cool of Vader. Felt a bit forced. So not liking the combat, not liking the character interaction, I found I was just going through the game for the love of swinging a saber around and stopped myself thinking "why am I bothering?". I guess its not for everyone. Good music though, nice visuals, and the psychopathic red robot was hilarious. Was put off KOTOR2 because I read comments like "the first section isn't as good as the original game" which I thought had the worst opening I've ever encountered.

    Also the reason I'm a bit hmmmm about checking out Mass Effect on the PC.

  • paulf #22 4 years ago

    @ widge - shame you didn't enjoy it, judging by your comments though you should give Mass Effect a go, the combat is very different to KOTOR - much more hands on and the dialogue choices are maybe of a more mature nature (I certainly didn't feel like a stroppy teenager when playing through as a renegade) - the lines of good and evil are more blurred than kotor - its more of a case of how you approach problems rather than light or dark side

  • Widge #23 4 years ago

    I'm really tempted, I keep looking at screenshots and thinking "you look nice", plus there is the overwhelming support for the game wherever I go.

  • barchetta #24 4 years ago

    Wasn't Free Radical 'involved' with a Battlefront Game? Interesting to see where the land lies following the somewhat lacklustre reception to HAZE.

    A new Tie/X-wing based game would be a guaranteed hit going by the usual yelp of desire from fans of the old franchise. What is unbelievable is that it hasn't been done already. I can understand a lack of enthusiasm for the old GAs (though would love to see them return) but if any game-type was made for the Online MP generation then Tie/X-Wing is it. The Rogue Squadron Gamecube games were visually impressive so think of what can be achieved with current hardware.

  • prolific8 #25 4 years ago

    An MMO KotoR would be devastating. I don't want to pay a subscription every month so that I don't find out what happened to Revan for years.

  • bad09 #26 4 years ago

    @ barchetta

    Although never confirmed that was the rumour and indeed FR did say they were working on something Star Wars for LA. I must admit after Haze I'm a little worried!

  • paketep #27 4 years ago

    No more KOTOR if they are going to force the developers to release it unfinished as they did with KOTOR 2.

    In fact, no more LucasArts, please. You suck.

  • RexRunti #28 4 years ago

    Just looking at Bioware's list of games in progress, they are:

    Sonic
    Dragon age
    Unknown MMO
    Unknown Next Gen Game (surely current gen)
    and "LucasArts/Bioware Interactive Product"

    Whether or not the last one is an MMO is still open to rumour and speculation. I personally hope that it isn't as I want to become the most powerful jedi/sith in the universe not just another one in a party.

    @Widge

    You may actually prefer KOTOR II it does improve on almost all the areas you mention.

  • Xerx3s #29 4 years ago

    "Unknown Next Gen Game (surely current gen) "

    That will be ME2.

  • Skywise #30 4 years ago

    @Paulf
    Apart from the awful visuals I was positively surprised by KOTOR. I bought it because of the glowing reviews and past Bioware games, even though I don't like the Star Wars movies at all. So enjoyment of Star Wars isn't necessary to enjoy KOTOR.

  • Vin #31 4 years ago

    None of this MMO rubbish, thanks.

    Just give me a good, solid, SP mode that lasts ages and has optional co-op.

  • shamblemonkee #32 4 years ago

    @ widge - def give Mass Effect a whirl its so, so, so superiour to the KOTOR games, which also disliked. Mass Effect is all your space opera dreams come true.

  • Jimbob89 #33 4 years ago

    I thought battlefront 3 was already announced but was based in the lotr universe? or is that just a completely different game.
    So maybe we'll have another star wars battlefront AND Lord of the rings, awesome!

  • Res #34 4 years ago

    It was announced that Free Radical are working on the next Battlefront game quite a while ago.

  • bitesize #35 4 years ago


    ^ different team to the one that made haze as well (as they've been in parallel development for a while i gather). so rest easy.

  • MaxiSleep #36 4 years ago

    A good single player game does not an MMO make.

  • J.C #37 4 years ago

    LucasArts have made some massive mistakes this gen imo.

    1. Battlefront 3. not even a screenshot. with Xbox live the way it is now, its insane they haven't shown anything.
    2. KOTOR 3. oh dear. incredible how this has not made it to either 360/PS3 yet. fucking insane decision.
    3. Fracture. generic looking game, that i dont believe gamers really want.
    4. They have a back catalog of classic games that are loved by many. the gamers want these games to continue. lucasarts are you listening, no? thought not.
    5. The wii lightsaber game. the silence on this, and all the above are as deafening as ever.
    Edited by 1 at 06/06/08 @ 13:19

  • bad09 #38 4 years ago

    "LucasArts have made some massive mistakes this gen imo.

    1. Battlefront 3. not even a screenshot. with Xbox live the way it is now, its insane they haven't shown anything.
    2. KOTOR 3. oh dear. incredible how this has not made it to either 360/PS3 yet. fucking insane decision.
    3. Fracture. generic looking game, that i dont believe gamers really want.
    4. They have a back catalog of classic games that are loved by many. the gamers want these games to continue. lucasarts are you listening, no? thought not.
    5. The wii lightsaber game. the silence on this, and all the above are as deafening as ever."

    I sure hope someone from LA is reading this, well said J.C

  • bongoloid #39 4 years ago

    How about a KOTOR MMO with space combat integration? 2 birds, 1 stone.

  • Charlie_Miso #40 4 years ago

    Thank God, no sign of more Jade Empire.

  • Vin #41 4 years ago

    Get out.

    Jade Empire was fucking great.

  • WinterSnowblind #42 4 years ago

    I woudn't mind if they turned KotOR into an MMO, but it'd also be nice if they would continue the actual story with a single player game, at least eventually. But I wouldn't be willing to pay another subscription fee, no matter what the game, unless it was significantly less than what other games are charging.

    And yes, Jade Empire was flawed, but still brilliant.
    Edited by 1 at 06/06/08 @ 20:44

  • Royal Fool #43 4 years ago

    How the mighty have fallen. Once one of the most prestigious publishing houses in the business, now reduced to rubble.

  • louyfitz #44 4 years ago

    Bobba Fett: bounty hunter game on 360 FTW!!!!

  • Lamont #45 4 years ago

    I hope whomever signed up Free Radical to do Battlefront got sacked. After a terd like Haze I shudder to think what they'd do to Battlefront. I wouldn't trust them to make a TV dinner.

  • hiddenranbir #46 4 years ago

    More KOTOR? Really? Will my character have amnesia, again? Going through the exact same motions of rediscovering myself alongside unearthing a greater devious plot...by the Sith, no doubt!