I was afraid this would happen. The moment the Disney deal got announced, I worried most about LucasArts landing at a company that was on track to end all internal development. LucasArts was not the same company it was during what people consider its golden age, but it was still full of talented people doing interesting work.
In this statement to Game Informer, they confirm the closure of the legendary development house and confirm that future Star Wars games will be sub-licensed externally in the future.
Would it have killed them to announce the layoffs before GDC so that developers could network and look for work there?
They comment further to indicate that the hotly-anticipated Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault are not necessarily dead, and could find themselves a home:
Website Kotaku is reporting that 150 LucasArts employees have been laid off, and that the games Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 have been cancelled. However, the representative we spoke to said that the company is also evaluating its options regarding projects currently in development, which could be licensed out to external development and publishing partners:
"It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans. We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we're just looking at different models rather than internal production... They're evaluating everything. There's always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing."
The representative also remarked on the general mood at the studio today, which, understandably, is not upbeat:
"It's super sad. It's a terrible day. I want to make sure everyone realizes that there still will be Star Wars games out there."
"Super sad", huh, bro? Great word choice, and yes, of course there will still be Star Wars videogames out there. I think your audience actually cares more about the fate of the developers that make the games they care about. They aren't so dim as to assume that one of the most lucrative franchises in gaming history was going to suddenly stop making piles of cash.
I'll spare you the Alderaan "voices cry out" reference with regard to the few hundred super-talented people without jobs as of today. They deserve more respect than that or how this big heave-ho is being press-released. Here's hoping they all land on their feet and get to do work that is rewarding and means something to them.
Before we start down that road, everyone would be kidding themselves if they think Disney will let go of Secret of Money Island, Day of the Tentacle, or Grim Fandango (or sub-license them, for that matter).