From 1982 to 2013, how many Lucasfilm Games & LucasArts logos were used? Maybe more than you think.
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The first dates back to when the Games Division of Lucasfilm Computer Division was mostly an experiment ahead of its time. It is therefore a simple alteration of the Lucasfilm logo.
For several years, while the group was developing games for other publishers (Atari, Activision, EA...), there weren't even any Lucasfilm Games logos on the boxes.
To my knowledge, only the cover of Labyrinth: The Computer Game, in 1986, had this logo.
One year later, Lucasfilm Games published its own game: Maniac Mansion. A new logo appears.
There will be variations in game credits.
From there, they have to create a brand image. These games are all stamped with the new Lucasfilm Games logo - a guarantee of quality.
Great games, still classic 30 years later.
Proof that the studio was capable of stepping out of the shadow of Lucasfilm.
Between 1990 and 1993, Lucasfilm, as a whole, underwent a period of change. For various reasons.
For a few months, the Games Division, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound are brought together in a new structure: LucasArts Entertainment Company.
The cover art of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (dec. 1991) is a special witness to this transition.
A curious logo is introduced in the opening credits, then by calling the hotline...
But as often with Lucasfilm, there is another! A logo that was used briefly, in some internal documents, but not in games.
The sun and the moon.
I still don't know its story despite my years of research, and that annoys me ^^
The famous Golden Guy, as surprising as it may seem, was not created in-house. An external company was recruited (at what price?). Several times, former LucasArts designers told me how they were ... disappointed? upset? In any case, few were seduced by this design. At first.
At that time, the group had just moved from Skywalker Ranch to settle in Kerner Blvd, San Rafael. LucasArts even almost disappeared, since George Lucas wanted the studio to merge with Interplay, so that @BrianFargo could take its direction.
The merger stalled. Very shortly thereafter, ILM and Skywalker Sound merged into Lucas Digital Ltd. (you saw this name in a million credits, as below)
LucasArts became its own entity: LucasArts Entertainment Company (LEC). Entirely.
Aside: the first console games being part of a specific contract with JVC, the logo does not appear on the boxes.
Finally, with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (summer 1992), the Golden Guy is invited to join the cover art!
In 1993, LucasArts released its own Star Wars games: X-Wing and Rebel Assault. The latter was so successful that, in addition to a boom in sales of CR-ROM drives, it almost single-handedly saved LucasArts!
“Gordon Radley, the CEO of Lucasfilm, came to one of our company meetings after Rebel Assault launched and said that the ‘battleship was turning.’ (...) We knew we were headed in a positive direction and that the company was going to make it.” (Collette Michaud to Retro Gamer)
LucasArt then begins a golden age, with a single logo (and its variations) and will settle in Los Gamos for nearly ten years.
It wasn't until 2003/2005 that the studio suffered 1/ a huge wave of layoffs 2/ a move to the Presidio in San Francisco 3/ a new logo (I don't know who designed it -for now).
A new logo, until the end.
Bonus: 1990s
What, how I got to spend 2 hours on this thread. 😱
True!
There is real visual consistency from 2005.
(not for everything, as the @ILMxLAB logo, created later, will be very different)
@ILMxLAB I learned something today, thanks to @dkhoda20
In 1998, LucasArts approached Remedy (Alan Wake, Control) and threatened legal action, claiming the Remedy logo was copied from the top part of LucasArts' logo.
"We made a decision to change our logo long before LucasArts' claims".
@ILMxLAB @dkhoda20 And now, variations of the Golden Guy logo to represent the different sections of the official site, in 1996.
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