10 Beloved Video Game Studios That Didn't Deserve To Be Shut Down

3. LucasArts

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Lucasarts

Creating games since 1984, LucasArts developed a huge library of releases during their three decades in business. Until EA took control of the license a few years ago, these were the guys responsible for all things Star Wars in the gaming industry, giving the franchise iconic new characters like Kyle Katarn and allowing fans to explore every aspect of the sci-fi world for themselves.

Not only a Star Wars factory however, LucasArts branched out to create their own original releases, and in some circles are more revered for their timeless adventure games than franchise tie-ins. Titles like The Secret of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle are still considered some of the best experiences the medium has to offer, and they wouldn't have been possible without the help of this iconic studio.

The sale of Star Wars to Disney in 2012 resulted in the developer's future being up in the air however, as the new owners had the option to hand development duties for the franchise over to a new company. With a deal being brokered with EA a little while later, LucasArts ceased being an active game developer and had most of their staff laid off, with a skeleton crew being kept around in order to license future products.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.