LucasArts On Star Wars And PC Development

Why did LucasArts appear to abandon original development in favour of churning out Star Wars games sausage factory-style? Because they got "a little excited." And why no Force Unleased on PC? Because console-equivalent PCs cost £2000, apparently.

While interviewing the producer responsible for the current-gen consoles, VideoGamer.com learned the Star Wars obsession was all down to misplaced enthusiasm, something they've learned from since. Cameron Suey explains after the jump.

"Star Wars is one of the greatest licenses for a video game you could have and in the past we got a little excited about that and we put out games that probably weren't up to the quality bar that we would have liked. That's definitely something we've recognised and we understand. The more Star Wars games you put out and the more you love that environment the more it becomes mediocre and anodyne."

(Unfortunately grammar then takes a blow at the claims, when Suey states, "You're might see less and better. Make it right and do it right." Fewer! "Less" would be where you've been going wrong for a while now.)

So why no Force Unleashed on PC, when it's coming out on just about everything else, ever? Follow this:

"[The] PC being the gaming platform that it is, someone with a $4,000 high-end system would definitely be able to play the Euphoria, the DMM and really technical elements of the game. But someone with a low-end PC would have a watered down experience, they would have to turn all the settings down and it wouldn't be the same game. On the other hand if we made that game for as many people as possible, because we are trying to make mass market games, something that everybody can enjoy, well then it's not taking advantage of what those $4,000 systems can do. So one way or the other depending on how you build that lead PC SKU, it's not going to be for the same amount of people, it's going to be not as good or only for a select few people."

Flubble. How exactly does that explain a PSP, PS2, DS, Wii and... N-Gage version? What a very peculiar answer. But the PC isn't forgotten, Suey claims.

"That said we're definitely not out of the PC market. It's just with our choice for this game, with the known quantity for the consoles, and every console is the same with the same processing power, it made sense for us to develop for those consoles."

That doesn't sound too optimistic. So come on then LucasArts - money and mouths. Let's see some completely new titles that have nothing to do with Star Wars. (And no, replacing them all with Indiana Jones doesn't count). And put some of them on PC.

You can read the rest of the interview here. Thanks VideoGamer for all the nicked quotes.