LucasArts will partner with Free Radical Design to develop a new videogame for next-generation console platforms. Product and release details will be unveiled at a later date.
Free Radical has always been about titles with great gameplay and innovative design, said Peter Hirschmann, vp of product development at LucasArts. In the battle for videogame quality, these guys are at the front of the line. This teams pedigree is one of the best in the business.
In recent years, LucasArts has established itself as one of the hottest publishers on the planet, added Steve Ellis, director at Free Radical, Were honored that theyre every bit as interested to be working with us as we are to be working with them.
Founded in 1999, Free Radical Design (www.frd.co.uk) is one of the U.K.s leading independent videogame developers, responsible for three of the eight best-scoring First Person Shooters on PlayStation 2.
LucasArts (www.lucasarts.com), a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.
Lucasfilm Ltd. (www.lucasfilm.com) is one of the worlds leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion picture and television production operations, the companys global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual effects and audio post-production; and Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilms entertainment properties. Additionally, Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilms entertainment properties and businesses. Lucasfilms movies include five of the 20 biggest box office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and 53 Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilms television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
