What is Lucasarts' problem?

iwantmi5 · Post by **iwantmi5** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:31 pm

Hello,
im fairly new to this forum and i would like you all to just give your opinion as to why you think lucasarts are refusing to make a fifth monkey island game and they are still keeping the rights tucked under their beds like a teddy bear. What is lucasarts' problem?

Tinhead Ned · Post by **Tinhead Ned** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:43 pm

They think it won't sell, and they're probably right. Adventure games still make money but they're not the cash-spinners they used to be back in the day...why put money into a project that might sell when they can spin out another shallow, boring Star Wars game they know they'll profit from?

Retrog33k · Post by **Retrog33k** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:56 am

If they think it won't sell, then they should give the rights to the guy who made them in the first place.

clem · Post by **clem** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:13 am

Retrog33k wrote:If they think it won't sell, then they should give the rights to the guy who made them in the first place.

LucasArts made the games in the first place. They paid artists to create the game, but the finished product belongs to the entity which paid for the work - LucasArts. Also some games are apparently still being sold - I think I saw MI3 and MI4 on sale as recently as 2007.

edit: I think I misunderstood you at first - I don't think they'd give up the rights on Monkey Island as a brand because the older games still are intellectual assets and development out of their control on further games might change their value.

MusicallyInspired · Post by **MusicallyInspired** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:22 am

They'd screw it up. I don't want them to make it. I haven't played the 4th one yet, but I heard it was nothing like the predecessors. (Obviously without Ron Gilbert, but even Curse of Monkey Island is far better, so it seems)

Kisdra · Post by **Kisdra** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:37 pm

clem wrote:edit: I think I misunderstood you at first - I don't think they'd give up the rights on Monkey Island as a brand because the older games still are intellectual assets and development out of their control on further games might change their value.

Here in France, they're reselling some 90's LucasArts games (The Dig, Sam & Max, Full Throttle, for those I remember) with a Windows XP patch. So you're right, they won't give up the rights as they can do magic with it : they still know how to sell 5€ (6,7$) games which are around 15 years old.

iPwnzorz · Post by **iPwnzorz** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:30 pm

Huh? MI5?! What is there an MI4?!

(I reject the existance of MI4 despite the fact I'm looking at the box right now)

dreammaster · Post by **dreammaster** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:57 pm

iPwnzorz wrote:Huh? MI5?! What is there an MI4?!

(I reject the existance of MI4 despite the fact I'm looking at the box right now)

Wow! Simultaneous game and no game. My apologies. You are clearly a heavy-duty philosopher.

dust · Post by **dust** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:52 am

To be quite frank, I don't think they should be making games at all. Just look at what they've done with The Force Unleashed and you'll see where I'm getting at.

Retrog33k · Post by **Retrog33k** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:33 am

clem wrote:
Retrog33k wrote:If they think it won't sell, then they should give the rights to the guy who made them in the first place.
LucasArts made the games in the first place. They paid artists to create the game, but the finished product belongs to the entity which paid for the work - LucasArts. Also some games are apparently still being sold - I think I saw MI3 and MI4 on sale as recently as 2007.

edit: I think I misunderstood you at first - I don't think they'd give up the rights on Monkey Island as a brand because the older games still are intellectual assets and development out of their control on further games might change their value.

What I meant to say is, why is lucasarts still holding onto the rights? Do they have anything planned for Monkey Island? Right now, it looks like nothing's being planned, so why hold onto the rights? I doubt they care if their older titles sell or not, after all, it's had it's run and the money they make for their older titles is minuscule at best. It doesn't make sense to me, from a business standpoint, why they would guard Monkey Island like a dog protecting a junkyard when they have nothing planned for this property. I mean, come on, what's the point of keeping it? Just give it to Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer or Dave Grossman and let them make their own MI independently.
Come to think of it, just who would get it if lucasarts gave it up? Would they team up to make monkey island 5? I personally would like to see that april fools joke of the voiceovers with largo lagrande become a real game.

fingolfin · Post by **fingolfin** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:19 am

Retrog33k wrote:What I meant to say is, why is lucasarts still holding onto the rights? Do they have anything planned for Monkey Island? Right now, it looks like nothing's being planned, so why hold onto the rights?

Because in the future, they *might* do something. Or not. You have to view it this way: Those assets have a *potential* worth. If they retain them, there is a chance (no matter how small it might be) that they might earn money with it again in the future. OTOH, if they release the rights, the chance is 0. So, from an economical point of view, it makes absolute sense for them to keep it. It's that simple.

So only reason for them to release those rights would be if there was money in it: Somebody buying the rights, or the hope that they get valuable positive PR out of it. IMO that was a motivating factor for Revolution Software -- they released Lure and BASS for free, and let us add support for Broken Sword 1 & 2, which in turn probably helped sales of Broken Sword 1 - 4, by means of (indirect) advertising, and good PR.

But LucasArts has currently no plans (AFAIK) to make new point & click adventures (or any non-Star Wars games). Hence it makes no sense to try to get good PR / advertisement in this area. I.e. the reason it makes no sense for them to release the rights to those adventures is *precisely* because they have no plans for new ones.

Flo · Post by **Flo** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:09 pm

It makes very little sense for a company to sell off IPs unless they're strapped for cash. And I somehow doubt that's true for LucasArts.

rented mule · Post by **rented mule** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:21 pm

IP doesn't really matter. Nobody should be looking for the next Monkey Island at this point in time...it's dead.

What you should be looking for is the next game from Ron Gilbert. He was the brain behind Monkey Island...so his next game should be as good as the Monkey Island serie was.

Longcat · Post by **Longcat** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:56 pm

How do you figure that?

Making something great is no guarantee for making something great the next time and MI is setting the bar pretty high if you ask me.

Freddo · Post by **Freddo** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:45 pm

rented mule wrote:What you should be looking for is the next game from Ron Gilbert.

That would be DeathSpank.