INTERVIEW: PAUL MEEGAN, LUCASARTS
[BIOGRAPHY] NAME: Paul Meegan
CURRENT JOB: President, LucasArts EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
1997 – 2000: Sinister Games (President & Founder)
2000 – 2001: Ubisoft Montreal (Executive Vice President)
2002 – 2004: Jaleco Entertainment (Studio Director)
March 2004 – November 2005: Ubisoft Shanghai (Executive Vice President, Production)
February 2006 – 2010: Axion Pacific Capital (Partner)
March 2006 – June 2010: Epic Games China (CEO & co-founder)
founder] Tim Sweeney and his team. They’re some very smart, very dedicated people, and Tim is always looking ahead.”
The choice of Unreal is based on a few factors, he explains.
“The tools and pipeline are well thought out and powerful, the technology supports a wide variety of platforms, we get online and multiplayer functionality out of the box, and it’s battle tested. Where we need to do something that Unreal doesn’t, we’re building on it. We’ve got some supremely talented engineers, and you’ll continue to see cutting edge rendering, lighting and animation – all things where we’ve demonstrated excellence.” It’s a far cry from the ambitious but unfulfilled claims LucasArts was making at E3s past – most notably the 2006 show where demos of next-gen Star Wars(which would become Force Unleashed) and Indiana Jonesgames (a now dead project). Back then, Lucas execs were insisting that the games and film production processes could be
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merged, but only with expensive, bespoke technology. Meegan suggests that his predecessors were well intentioned but going about it the wrong way. “What we’ve learned is that it’s not necessarily about merging game and film pipelines, it’s about convergence of expertise. It’s also about the right timing. Because we have so much hard-won
institutional capability at Lucasfilm, with ILM and our other divisions, we have a unique opportunity to do something spectacular.
“Right now, our teams are taking a hard look at digital humans, advanced rendering, lighting and lensing. The fact that we get to apply all of this to intellectual properties that so many people care about makes it worthwhile.”
STRIKING UP EXCITEMENT One of LucasArts’ few notable successes in recent years was a push to iPhone and PC/Mac with a revival of classic games. Will apps and downloads be a key part of the
Former Ubisoft and Epic Games exec Paul Meegan joined LucasArts last year
new strategy? “Digital is crucial to our strategy. But it goes beyond apps,” adds Meegan. “Star Wars lends itself to all kinds of games – connecting players and giving them deeper experiences. Stay tuned.”
In recent years, LucasArts hasn’t always done a good job of making games. That has to change. Paul Meegan, LucasArts
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Outside of that, however, it’s no surprise that Meegan isn’t ready to say what those first ‘worthwhile’ projects are just right now. But clearly, he has taken to heart the idea that the development team has to be as excited about the project as the Star Warsfanbase that they will be serving. “We’re not ready to talk about specific games yet,” he confirms. “What I can tell you is that we’re taking a look at our big franchises, iconic characters that have never been featured in a game, and new properties within the Star Wars universe that are jaw-dropping. “What matters to me is that people in the company are getting excited. We’re doing something we believe in – respecting our medium, and breaking new ground.”
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