LucasArts creative director Clint Hocking has called it quits after sticking with the company for two years, revealing that he is now moving on to something new.
The former employee of LucasArts broke the news on his personal blog, conceding that he has already found himself new work and currently in the process of moving out of San Francisco, California.
However, the blog update neither contained any details about his new job nor gave away the name of the new area that he is relocating to.
“I recently left my job at LucasArts and am moving on to something new. Unlike last time, (and mercifully less wordy) I already have something lined up and I am currently in the process of dealing with the living hell of relocation,” stated Hocking in his blog update.
The departure hardly appears bitter and therefore leaves everyone wondering why Hocking was compelled to take such a decision.
The news of his resignation comes as a huge surprise, especially with LucasArts revealing the latest addition to their Star Wars franchise, Star Wars 1313, earlier this month. It is not yet clear whether his departure from the company will take its toll on the development of the latest game in the series that has been struggling to deliver a satisfying experience to its loyalists for quite some time now.
Formerly employed at Ubisoft, Hocking had been a part of the development team that created the original Splinter Cell game in 2002 and served as the creative director for its sequel Chaos Theory in 2005. He also played a substantial role in the development of Far Cry 2, sequel to the original ground-breaking first-person shooter that introduced the new game engine called CryEngine.
With Hocking moving to LucasArts after the resignation of creative director Haden Blackman two years ago, gamers, especially the Star Wars enthusiasts, could not help feeling excited. His talent and skills were not hidden from anyone and thus it was only natural for them to expect a great game from his new employers in the near future.
Much to everyone’s disappointment, the only title that LucasArts churned out after taking Hocking onboard was Star Wars Kinect, a game that fell real short of the expectations. The game hardly exuded the characteristic elements of Hocking’s work, making many wonder whether the creative director had even involved in the project at all.
LucasArts once enjoyed a good repute among gamers due to the exquisite quality of its games. However, the new millennium has seen the company on a steady decline. Not only is LucasArts failing to deliver anything special, it is facing regular setbacks due to the resignation of employees who seem to have lost their faith in the company.
It remains to be seen whether Hocking’s resignation will take its toll on LucasArts or if the company manages to take it in a stride and remains focused on picking itself up through the release of a series of notable games, starting with Star Wars 1313.
INCORRECT:
“”Star Wars 131,”"
CORRECT:
“”Star Wars 1313,”"
“”development of Far Car 2, “”
“”development of Far Cry 2, “”
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