LucasArts has had a long and tumultous history as a video game publishing company. But I the Force just may be with this one for the next generation of gaming.


The Past

It began as Lucasfilm Games in 1982, and make non-Star Wars adventure games. It became one of the premiere producers of classic adventure games, but the age of the point and click came to an end. LucasArts then began it's long line of Star Wars games. Some were good, some were bad, and most of them were incredibly average. And they far outnumbered non-Star Wars titles, too; nevertheless, there were a fair amount of Indiana Jones and original titles to come out of LucasArts since the start of the SW mania.

The Present

Recently (in the past year or two), LucasArts decided to make some changes around the office, shift some priorities, and they tried to revitalize their increasingly stagnant history. They've made an effort to produce higher quality games, and have been mostly successful in recent history. They've also shown signs of continuing to let up on the output of Star Wars games a bit. Three out of four of the upcoming games advertised on their main page aren't Star Wars games (along with two old SW games and an upcoming SW expansion pack).


Just some clarification about LucasArts for those not up on the Video Game business. LucasArts is a publisher, and they also develop. The publisher generally funds, physically makes, and distributes a game, and gets a lot of the money. And in many cases (especially LucasArts') they own the intellectual property of the game being made. The developer actually designs, programs, and creates the game.

What this means is, LucasArts' past failures and successes cannot be blamed entirely on the publisher. Rushing a game (one of LucasArts' old flaws) is often done by the publisher, but the quality of the game depends on the developer. Battlefront was developed by Petroglyph, so much credit belongs to them. And Sony Online Entertainment is almost entirely responsible for Star Wars Galaxies, with LucasArts basically owning the rights and SOE doing everything else. The Indiana Jones games on the other hand, are both published and developed by LucasArts. Just remember that when you consider "LucasArts'" failures or successes.

The Future

But now more and more bits keep popping up, catching my attention. Things that reveal LucasArts' deeper intentions for the Next Generation of gaming. Frankly, I'm fascinated and this could mean big things for the future of gaming.

Item 1: Indiana Jones, Euphoria, and NaturalMotion
Euphoria is a game physics system that was developed by NaturalMotion LTD. for LucasArts' new Indiana Jones game and was presented at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo [a tear shed for the last of the old E3 ]. Euphoria is a system "Biomechanical AI" that allow enemies and objects to behave realistically to physical stimuli. A bad guy thrown into a crate will realistically and randomly have a different crash each time. Guys standing on a wobbly bridge realistically need to balance. Neato stuff.

Indiana Jones/Euphoria Trailer, shown at E3 (A good watch, click!)

LucasArts Press Release

Item 2: Digital Molecular Matter and Pixelux
LucasArts once again is teaming up with another company, this time Pixelux, for some shiny new physics. Consider DMM Euphoria for inanimate objects. It simulates the proper reactions for different types of matter. Because shooting wood, cement, or a banana all have different results. LucasArts really nabbed a great natural extension to Euphoria, to make a game universe that promises astonishing realism. The Press release promises it's incorporation in the upcoming next gen Indiana Jones game, as well as "all internal titles currently in development for next-generation video game consoles."

A Demo of the DMM technology (Crude but neat)

LucasArts Press Release

Item 3: The Star Wars Pre-Vis
Months ago, LucasArts internally made a pre visualization video for concepts of what they want future Star Wars game to be like. At E3, it was shown behind closed doors, but it wasn't until Comic-Con 06 that it was released to the public. It's an amazing peek at how force powers should look and feel in a game, and how great immersion can be. It's all pre-rendered, manufactured concept footage, not gameplay footage or anything, but if they even step in that direction, every geek in a mile radius of the game will wet their pants. It's enough to get anyone excited about the future of Star Wars games.

The Pre-Vis itself (A Must See)

A Great IGN article on the video (Great if you want to know more)

Item 4: New IP, New Studio, Next Gen
Today LucasArts gave a Press Release revealing that they were parnering with Day 1, a game developer, to "develop a new intellectual property for release on next-generation console platforms." LucasArts is committing to more than their old Franchises for the next-gen, and committing to more than Lumines and Rollercoaster Tycoon for original ideas. Good news for them.
However, there is no garuntee that this new IP will feature all the next gen goodies LucasArts has already gotten their hands on. DMM was promised for all internal titles developed, and a I interpret a different developer as external. That's no promise that you won't see anything either, though. I doubt that LucasArts would commit to a next-gen endeavor without the next-gen flags they've been waving.

LucasArts Press Release


What does that spell?

What these things show to me is a commitment to change the way that games are presented. The next generation of consoles has opened up technological doors, and the challenge of the new era is to take advantage of what these new machines can do. LucasArts is trying to do that.

So on the horizon we have a Vader based Star Wars game, an Indiana Jones game, and something new. If that's not LucasArts in a nutshell, I don't know what is. They're getting new technology to make games that are more physically realistic than enything ever seen, and they've shown a commitment to improving the quality of their games.

But what are the dangers? Lucasarts is devoting so much energy to this side of it, what about the games? Graphics don't make a game. Will LucasArts be able to pull off gameplay experiences to match their technology? I'm hopeful. They've been showing devotion to higher quality recently, and have had their successes. Plus, they're putting too much out there here for them to cut corners or risk it. And before you think that they've spent too much time on the engine, not enough on the game, remember that titles haven't even been released for the big upcoming next-gen games, let alone details, and the technical side seems to be taken care of at this point. They have time.

And personally, the fact that it's an Indy game or a SW game will get me excited enough no matter how mediocre it is. Franchise can only get you so far, but franchise can get you so far. (Especially for a fanboy )

But what really gets me excited is that even if LucasArts drops the ball on the games, they'll have introduced some amazing technology to the games industry. As I said, it's the challenge of the next-gen developer to take advantage of what new systems have to offer. We're not yet seeing the graphics of the 360 always being utilised, or the dual/touch screen of the Nintendo DS being used. Only some games are really taking the oppurtunities. LucasArts' introduction of technology will push the envelope and show to other developers what can be done, and that will force and inspire companies to take advantage of the technology available.


There you have it, my treatise on LucasArts. I've loved many of their games in the past, I'm liking what they're doing in the present, and they're constantly showing their commitment to the future, so I have great hope to see some great games out of them, and I'm glad for what they're doing for the gaming indusrty.