We’ve heard from multiple sources today that LucasArts has laid off approximately 50-100 of its employees, including a handful of higher profile names like VP of Product Development Peter Hirschmann. The move comes just a few days after the publisher and developer released LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures on multiple platforms and four months after the departure of LucasArts president Jim Ward.
When LucasArts president Jim Ward surprised us by resigning from the company he’d been with for more than a decade, we didn’t have any insight into the reasons why. LucasArts reps chalked it up to “personal reasons”. However, a recent and lengthy comment on the matter at Gamasutra, picked up by GameSetWatch, may reveal more about the departure, which may have been the result of internal strife.
When we broke the news of Jim Ward quitting LucasArts last week, I mentioned that he would no longer be speaking at the DICE conference this week.
The folks at Kohnke weren’t able to tell me who would be taking his place, but today when I hopped onto the DICE site I see he is no longer listed and that there have been a number of changes to the line-up. It looks like Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning is also no longer speaking at the conference and that folks from Namco and Massive Black have been added.
Hit the jump for the before and afters, according to the DICE schedule. (Thanks to GameLife, which ran the old schedule last week and made it possible for me to do some comparisons.)
LucasArts president Jim Ward surprised the developer on Monday with news that he was leaving the company he’s been with for nearly ten years.
In a prepared statement sent to Kotaku shortly after we broke the news of his departure, Ward sang the praises of a game development company he says he’s helped reboot.
“I am so proud of all people and the work we’ve done together at LucasArts over the last four years,” he wrote. “It’s been an incredible experience. Together we’ve rebooted the company and set LucasArts on a path to even greater success. This is a fantastic team and they are positioned for their best year ever.”
LucasArts has just confirmed to Kotaku that Jim Ward, longtime Lucas worker bee and current president of LucasArts, has resigned from the company “for personal reasons” and will be leaving LucasArts in a couple of weeks.
Ward, who began his career in advertising, started work at LucasFilm in 1997 as the head of their marketing division. In 2004 Ward was named president of LucasArts.
No word yet on the reasoning behind his seemingly sudden departure or where he will land, but we’ll keep you up to date here. Update: We’ve spoken with LucasArts about Ward’s notice and gotten a comment from Ward.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences recently added a clutch of new speakers to their 2008 Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain Summit in February including newly appointed Entertainment Software Association president Michael D. Gallagher and Masaya Matsuura, the man behind PaRappa the Rapper.
Other additions include Blizzard president Mike Morhaime, LucasArts president Jim Ward and Dr. Mark Ollila, director of tech and strategy for games and multimedia at Nokia.
The annual event will also include three-days of seminars and the Interactive Achievement Awards, which will once more be hosted by Jay Mohr.
