There's More to Lucas Than Star Wars, You Know

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Star Wars 07 will be a new brand, but MacIntyre says there will be no ‘core’ Star Wars branded games. This game will sit alongside KOTOR and Battle Front.

What is interesting is how this massive, huge game will be handled from a marketing perspective over the next year. Lucas is wisely using the public’s interest as an asset to be leveraged, rather than as an inconvenience to be avoided, until the time is ripe. What this means is a steady flow of information; just the sort of thing journalists enjoy as much as fan-boys.

“We typically work on these games about eighteen months out. We really treat these games like they are a theatrical release from the perspective of mapping everything out. We know that we need to be out there talking early and often and so you will see us handling the basic things like [fan] websites, but we’ll also do web-docs and developer diaries and behind the scenes and all the kinds of information that these core fans really want to know.”

Of course, given the appetite of this audience, resources must be put in place. She explains, “It takes a ton of work. We have the benefit of StarWars.com here which is basically a daily magazine with a tremendous amount of content. We are used to developing content and releasing it on a regular basis.”

But not everyone is a Star Wars nut. She adds, “Then there’s everybody else out there who may need to be sold on why the Star Wars game is phenomenal. We need to be more judicious about how we talk to them and where we reach them. So there will be a very big consumer push leading all the way up to the crescendo of the launch. Very soon we’ll do a big announcement on the game and go from there.”

New IP

LucasArts isn’t just about Star Wars games, and especially not right now. The company has just released its new IP Thrillville, which is a fun family game set in a theme park. In fact, it’s made by some of the guys behind Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, though it’s a different sort of experience.

“There’s never really been a game that let’s you get on the ground in a theme park and do everything from talk to the guests in the park, ride the rides, build the games, manage the park, and experience everything associated with the theme park, just like you would if it was a racing game or a wrestling game or any other kind of simulation.”

Lucas sees itself as a family entertainment company, and is seeking to leverage its traditional brands, while bringing on new franchises, which can be iterated. MacIntyre  explains, “We wanted to go out there and find games that were going to expand the market and that would be widely appealing in the same way that the Star Wars brand is widely appealing.

“We’ve done a lot of focus testing with and it’s really mind blowing because no matter what age person you talk to, they all say ‘this game is for everyone.’ We really like the kids market and family market. We like games that can be played by kids with their parents, just like family board games.

She adds, “We like the idea of the next generation of games being about families around the TV and around the console playing the games together. So when we apply our game filters, it’s games that can played by anybody, games that are incredibly accessible, without complicated controls, games that are re-playable, and that can be played in short periods of time. This is LucasArts so it’s got to have a great story and a great character….”

…which I take as a neat segue into Indiana Jones, who is returning to videogames again, mapping new technological territory for Lucas, in terms of how characters react in game worlds.

Authenticity to Indy

“We’re building a game that really takes advantage of some of the most interesting technology for next gen. These games bring a lot more of authenticity to Indy; you’ve probably heard us say over and over again, ‘it’s never the same experience twice,’ but truly these technologies will give you an experience that’s just second to none. You’re not just playing the game, you’re experiencing the whole Indy world in a way that’s never been seen before.”

LucasArts is one of the few big game publishers that is privately owned. It has a small, but powerful roster of IP and the resources to create or buy new IP. Whether you fall at the feet of George Lucas, or simply admire his achievements, you kinda have to root for these guys, simply because we all want to live in a world where publishers can succeed without having to fasten their fortunes to quarterly reports and the lottery of publicly traded stocks.

Provided by Next Generation—
Interactive Entertainment Today