Disney shuts down LucasArts. Sad day in gaming history

Today Disney shut down my gaming childhood.

When I grew up I completely fell in love with the adventure game genre. I can’t for the life of me remember what game I played first, but the two companies dearest to my heart throughout my early years were LucasArts and Sierra On-line. With Sierra I practiced my English (I’m Norwegian) and I clearly remember learning the word «trunk» from Police Quest 2. Open trunk, get field kit. Glove box also comes to mind.

But with LucasArts it was all about the humor. In my very humble opinion the funniest and most fulfilling game series ever is Monkey Island. The games feature hilarious dialogue, obscure puzzles and a trademark humor that has seeped into most of their legendary point ‘n click adventure games. And during the late 80′s and 90′s they seemed unable to release bad games. Maniac Mansion, Loom, the Monkey Island and Indiana Jones games, Day of the Tentacle, The Dig, Sam & Max, Grim Fandango and Full Throttle are but a few of the many titles that LucasArts released, but they are definitely the ones I will always remember and cherish.

There were of course other games in the LucasArts library like the brilliant TIE Fighter and a slew of other Star Wars related games like Rebel Assault and Dark Forces. By combining talent with BioWare they released the critically acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic, while its Obsidian-developed successor didn’t fare so well.

The last few years turned out to be a trip down memory lane for us adventure game nuts. The re-release of Monkey Island 2 was a godsend, while TellTale Games took upon them to create episodic content for both Monkey Island and Sam & Max. Games that turned out quite well.

With a legacy that includes all these great titles (and lots, lots more) it is quite sad that their swan shriek turned out to be Kinect Star Wars. As for 1313 and First Assault, these are cancelled until you hear otherwise.

About 150 people lost their jobs today and we wish them the best of luck. It is horrific, but at the same time it’s inspiring to see other game studios immediately announce available jobs on Twitter in support of the unlucky ones. Former employees like Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer are both still ambassadors for my favorite genre with games like The Cave and Double Fine’s upcoming Kickstarter project.

I deeply admire the talent and I am forever grateful for all the fantastic moments I’ve had with Guybrush, Ben and Grim.

If you are thirsty for adventure games and haven’t been paying attention the last decade, you should definitely check out, but not limited to, the following titles: Syberia 1 and 2, the Runaway games and A Vampire Story. And while you’re here, why not check out the intro for Full Throttle
.
Oh, and by the way, you fight like a dairy farmer.