INTERVIEW: PAUL MEEGAN, LUCASARTS A New Hope
In his first ever interview since taking the job as LucasArts president during E3 last year, Paul Meegan explains to Michael French his plan to get the developer-publisher back on track with new Star Wars games
THIS YEAR at E3, two of the hottest titles on show will be Star Wars-based.
A Kinect game that finally marries motion controllers with Jedi skills and lightsaber battles, and the MMO The Old Republic. However neither of them are developed or published by the ‘house of Star Wars’ itself LucasArts. That’s a pretty telling fact about the situation George Lucas’ owned studio faces right now. Although it has access to an IP with near-limitless potential, it’s having to let the likes of an internal Microsoft studio and EA’s prized BioWare do the heavy lifting. Not for much longer, according to LucasArts’ newest president Paul Meegan.
A former exec from Unreal Engine
and Gears of Warcreator Epic Games, his appointment was announced at E3 2010. But he refused interviews over the subsequent 12 months. Granted, he was probably too busy cleaning house to think about satisfying the media. Last year, the firm downsized by a third as production wrapped on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, a lukewarm sequel to the 2008 original – itself the only notable release after a tumultuous revamp during the last decade.
But that’s the end of the turmoil, Meegan tells MCVin his first interview since taking charge. And his answer to our first question – what’s changed since
THE FORCE IS STRONG
THE MICROSOFT-made Star Wars Kinect game will be prominent during the Xbox press conference next week. How involved has LucasArts been in the game? “We’re working closely with [Microsoft Game Studios] and their dev teams to create a completely new Star Warsexperience for the Kinect audience,” says LucasArts president
24 June 3rd 2011
Paul Meegan. “We’re all looking forward to a great game.”
Is LucasArts interested in developing games for Kinect and Move itself? Lightsabers and motion-controllers have seemed like a perfect, yet unrequited, match.
“There are some obvious opportunities,” says Meegan. “We’re keeping a close eye on the tech.”
you took over? – is the most telling. “LucasArts is a company with tremendous potential,” he says. “I think people look at it and wonder just why it hasn’t done better in recent years.
“Lucasfilm has some of the most beloved and powerful brands in entertainment, we have a loyal community of fans, and talented people in every discipline. We’re surrounded by staggeringly bright and creative people at the top of their games. “And yet, in recent years, LucasArts hasn’t always done a good job of making games. “We should be making games that define our medium, that are competitive with the best of our industry, but we’re not. “That has to change.”
RETURN OF THE JEDI There’s a fairly clear solution to that problem, he says: “For me, it all starts with good product, getting our teams focused on big opportunities, and giving them what they need to succeed. We’re making a commitment to quality, and for that to work, it’s something we have to demonstrate every day.” So when it comes to that revamp last year, the company is now “structured to support our creative teams and to really focus on the fundamentals of gameplay and execution. We’ve got talented people in our San Francisco and Singapore studios, and are selectively bringing in more. We’re
working hard, and we’re starting to have fun.”
“
A long time ago, LucasArts was that magic blend of developer- publisher; quality came first, many games cashed in on Lucas IP but didn’t cheapen them, and the boring stuff like distribution was left to someone else. Those same aspirations are still true today, but haven’t been proven much of late. In fact, all of Star Wars’ biggest game plays recently have been developed by all and sundry outside of LucasArts – the kid-focused online Clone Warsgame is by Sony Online Entertainment, the long-running LEGO spin-offs by British outfit Traveller’s Tales. Meegan’s now focused on reclaiming those glories for the internal development staff. He adds: “Our priority is to create authentic, immersive, high quality Star Warsgames. We need to focus on that.”
Our priority is to create authentic, immersive, high quality Star Wars games. We need to focus on that.
Paul Meegan, LucasArts NEVER GONNA LEGO
ONE GAMES franchise that has kept the Star Warsflame alive – and proven its versatility – has been the Traveller’s Tales range of LEGO titles. Four LEGO Star Wars games have been released, plus two Indiana Jones ones. How much mileage is left in using the key Lucas properties with that brand?
A lot, says LucasArts president Paul Meegan: “LEGO and Star Wars have long proven to be a winning combination in toys and video games. We released LEGO Star Wars IIIback in March, and it’s off to a good start. TT Games created a fantastic game. I’m optimistic we’ll continue to deliver great experiences for the long haul.”
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USE THE FORCE, LUCASARTS A recent announcement that LucasArts will be using the Unreal Engine, from Meegan’s old employer Epic Games, to build its next games was the first sign the company wants to cut to the chase. “It doesn’t make for as juicy a story, but LucasArts was already evaluating Unreal Technology when I came to the company,” says Meegan when we ask about the correlation between his old and new employers. “I have a huge amount of trust and respect for [Epic Games
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