Video game developer · United States · Closed in 2013
LucasArts
Founded in May 1982
- 52
- games developed
- 83
- games published
- 0
- in development
History of LucasArts
In 1979 George Lucas set up the Lucasfilm Computer Division, which included a games department, the Games Group, that became Lucasfilm's video game division in May 1982. It initially worked with Atari, which held the Star Wars game licence, so it had to start with original ideas: Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus!, developed in 1984. Maniac Mansion (1987), the first game it both developed and published, introduced the SCUMM engine. In 1990, after a reorganisation of the Lucas companies, the division became LucasArts.
SCUMM powered its adventure games: Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988), Loom and The Secret of Monkey Island (1990), Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991), Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992), Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle and Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993), and Full Throttle and The Dig (1995). Grim Fandango (1998) was its first move into 3D adventures, and Escape from Monkey Island (2000) its last original one. Alongside these it made air combat simulations with Lawrence Holland's team.
Once the Star Wars licence returned to Lucasfilm in 1992, it produced X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995) and the Jedi Knight series. In the 2000s it published Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), made with BioWare, Star Wars: Battlefront (2004), Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008), leaving adventure games behind. After several leadership changes and rounds of layoffs, Disney bought Lucasfilm in December 2012 and on 3 April 2013 shut down in-house development: around 150 people lost their jobs and Star Wars 1313 was cancelled.
Since then it has worked as a licensor for outside studios: some staff moved to Disney Interactive Studios, and Electronic Arts took an exclusive multi-year Star Wars licence. In January 2021 it revived the Lucasfilm Games name and announced an Indiana Jones game from MachineGames and Bethesda and a Star Wars game from Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft, released in 2024 as Star Wars Outlaws. It also co-published Return to Monkey Island with Devolver Digital. In 2026 it became part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Games Group.
Milestones
1982
Lucasfilm's video game division is established.
1987
Maniac Mansion introduces the SCUMM engine.
1990
Renamed LucasArts; The Secret of Monkey Island is released.
1995
Star Wars: Dark Forces.
1998
Grim Fandango, its first 3D adventure.
2003
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, with BioWare.
2004
Star Wars: Battlefront.
2013
Disney shuts down its in-house game development.
2021
The Lucasfilm Games name returns as a licensing brand.
Its best-known games
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
1991 · Mac · DOS · Amiga
Day of the Tentacle
1993 · Mac · DOS · Amiga
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
2008 · NGage · PS3 · iOS
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
1992 · Linux · Wii · PC
Grim Fandango
1998 · PC
The Curse of Monkey Island
1997 · PC · Mac
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
2010 · PS3 · Linux · PC
Star Wars: Republic Commando
2005 · XBOX · PS4 · PC
Star Wars: Episode I - Racer
1999 · PS4 · N64 · PC
Full Throttle
1995 · PC · Mac · DOS
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
2009 · PS3 · PC · iOS
Star Wars: Dark Forces
1995 · PS3 · PC · Mac
Every game it has developed (52)
2010
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Wii
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II PS3, Linux, PC, iOS
- Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge PS3, PC, iOS, X360
2009
- Lucidity PC, X360
- The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition PS3, PC, iOS, Mac
2008
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Wii
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed NGage, PS3, iOS, X360
2005
- Star Wars: Republic Commando XBOX, PS4, PC, PS5
2003
- Gladius XBOX, NGC, PS2
- RTX Red Rock NGC, PS2
2002
- Star Wars: Bounty Hunter PS3, PS4, NGC, PS2
- Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter XBOX, PS3, PS4, PS2
2001
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan XBOX
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader NGC
- Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine GBC
- Star Wars: Starfighter PS3, PC, PS2
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds PC, Mac
2000
- Star Wars: Episode I - Battle for Naboo N64, PC
- Escape from Monkey Island PC, Mac, PS2
- Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles DC
- Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles PS1
- Star Wars: Force Commander PC
1999
- Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine N64, PC, PS1
- Star Wars: Episode I - Racer PS4, N64, PC, Mac
1998
- Star Wars Trilogy Arcade Arcade
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron N64, PC
- Grim Fandango PC
- Star Wars: Rebellion PC
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith PC
1997
- Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi PS1
- The Curse of Monkey Island PC, Mac
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II PC
- Outlaws PC
- Star Wars: Yoda Stories GBC, PC
1996
- Afterlife Linux, PC, Mac, DOS
- Mortimer and the Riddles of the Medallion PC
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire N64, PC
- Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures PC, Mac
1995
- The Dig Linux, PC, Mac, DOS
- Star Wars: Rebel Assault II - The Hidden Empire PC, Mac, DOS, PS1
- Big Sky Trooper SNES
- Full Throttle PC, Mac, DOS
- Metal Warriors SNES
- Star Wars: Dark Forces PS3, PC, Mac, DOS
1994
- Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures SNES, Wii
1993
- Star Wars: Rebel Assault PC, 3DO, Mac, DOS
- Sam & Max Hit the Road Linux, PC, Mac, DOS
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors SNES, Wii, Genesis/MegaDrive
- Day of the Tentacle Mac, DOS, Amiga
1992
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis: The Action Game C64, ZXS, Atari-ST, DOS
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis Linux, Wii, PC, Mac
1991
- Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Mac, DOS, Amiga
Games it has published without developing them (83)
- Loom 1990
- P-80 Shooting Star Tour of Duty 1991
- P-38 Lightning Tour of Duty 1991
- Do 335 Pfeil Tour of Duty 1992
- He-162 Volksjäger: Tour of Duty 1992
- Super Star Wars 1992
- Star Wars: X-Wing 1993
- Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1993
- Star Wars: TIE Fighter 1994
- Ghoul Patrol 1994
- Ballblazer Champions 1997
- Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter 1997
- Herc's Adventures 1997
- Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance 1999
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 1999
- Star Wars: Episode I - Racer 1999
- Star Wars: Demolition 2000
- Star Wars: Episode I - Obi-Wan's Adventures 2000
- Star Wars: Racer Arcade 2000
- Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing 2001
- Star Wars: Racer Revenge 2002
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Demo 2002
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast 2002
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 2002
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2002
- Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb 2003
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided 2003
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy 2003
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike 2003
- Secret Weapons Over Normandy 2003
- Armed and Dangerous 2003
- Star Wars: Starfighter 2003
- Wrath Unleashed 2004
- Star Wars: Battlefront 2004
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 2004
- Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction 2005
- LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game 2005
- LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game 2005
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005
- Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005
- Star Wars: Battlefront II 2005
- Star Wars: Empire at War 2006
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006
- LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 2006
- Thrillville 2006
- Thrillville: Off the Rails 2007
- Thrillville: Off the Rails 2007
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 2007
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 2007
- Star Wars: Battlefront - Renegade Squadron 2007
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures 2008
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures 2008
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2008
- Fracture 2008
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels 2008
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance 2008
- Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings 2009
- Tales of Monkey Island 2009
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes 2009
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes 2009
- Star Wars: Battlefront - Elite Squadron 2009
- Star Wars: Battlefront - Elite Squadron 2009
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues 2009
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues 2009
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II 2010
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 2011
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 2011
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 2011
- Star Wars: The Old Republic 2011
- Kinect Star Wars 2012
- Angry Birds Star Wars 2012
- Angry Birds Star Wars HD 2012
- Angry Birds Star Wars II 2013
- Star Wars: Tiny Death Star 2013
- LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters 2014
- Star Wars: Battle Pod 2014
- Disney Infinity 3.0 2015
- LEGO Star Wars: Microfighters 2017