Lucas Arts Becomes a Mom: Fearless Studios Born

It happens a lot in this industry, employees are laid off and studios are closed. Studios that have created some of our most beloved games are far from impervious to these occurrences. If you had told me a year ago that Infinity Ward, the studio responsible for one of the best selling titles in history would be on the verge of collapse, I would have laughed in your face. But it happens.  Is this necessarily a bad thing? Most certainly not.

Back in July, several long-time employees of Lucas Arts who were involved with the development of the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2" resigned and went on to do their own things. As of yesterday (10/14/2010), Haden Blackman, writer and director for Star Wars: the Force Unleashed, and partner Cedric Collomb, have launched their new studio: "Fearless Studios."

I find the birth of new studios to be nearly as exciting as the announcement of games themselves. Witnessing the culmination of various talents into a single creative team is what this industry is all about. Having read through various interviews and explored their new website, I am definitely excited to see what this studio decides to tackle first. With 6 game concepts already on the table ranging from intense action adventure, to extreme horror, it is easy to see why this new studio will be worth keeping an eye on.  The team's Mantra seems ambitious and focused on the types of games that speak to me and a vast majority of the gaming community. Here are a few quotes from the interview plus links to the interview with Blackman as well as the studios newly launched site:

"We're not building technology for its own sake; we want everything we do to show up onscreen to entertain the player—that's all that matters to us."

"We chose Fearless Studios for a very specific reason. We want to build a culture where we are not afraid to do the things that we think are required to make great games," Blackman said in an interview earlier this week. "Taking creative risks, tackling new challenges, working hard and being honest with ourselves and our partners. Those are really the pillars for the studio."

Game Hunters - Interview with Haden Blackman (10/14/2010)
Fearless Studios