14 DAY TRIAL // As we already know, LucasArts announced that an important number of employees have been let go around June 5, including one of the vice presidents and possibly the game director for LEGO Indiana Jones. By the looks of it, the former employees are more than eager to talk about the future plans of the company - which kind of makes me wonder whether or not they have signed non-disclosure agreements; or maybe they just don't care about them.
The main development seems to be the fact that LucasArts will rely more and more on outside teams to develop its games, while the company will focus on providing the intellectual property background required for the titles and on offering guidance to the developers. LucasArts seems to be aiming for a much leaner company structure, which could allow it to launch more products in a smaller timeframe.
Apparently, no changes are being planned for the development and for the release of games like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, or Fracture, but all the other games that are rumored to be in development at LucasArts will be affected.
It seems that BioWare will handle development for Knights of the Old Republic 3, while Traveller's Tales will presumably handle all the development duties for a new LEGO game, which might be a "complete adventures" edition for the LEGO Indiana Jones concept. There's no official word from LucasArts on any of the above.
Even more, if the former employees of the studio are to be believed, a Knights of the Old Republic MMO is being planned, while a lightsaber combat centered game for the Nintendo Wii also figures in the plans.
We might see more information from these disgruntled former employees as time goes by which, in turn, might force LucasArts to release official details regarding titles such as the new LEGO Indiana Jones game or the new Knight of the Old Republic developments.