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LucasArts plants ultimate April Fools on world's game development community 01 Apr, 2004, 15:04 / 33 comments


In a move sure to confuse everyone ever, LucasArts has run the following large recruitment advertisement, in the April issue of Game Developer magazine. The ad just says: "We're looking for experienced Artists, Programmers, Production Staff!" along with a gigantic picture of Sam and Max. Misleading much?

Attention talented game developers who might be lured in by the notion of working on a visually rich story-based comedy retro-throwback title: Send us things. Yes congrats you're hired. No, that game was cancelled, you'll be working on Republic Commando. Yes you're the one who will be adding the yellow and red stripes to the squad leader costumes. No, sorry all we listen to in here is the original score to The Phantom Menace. If you try to quit we will sue you.

In all fairness, it takes at least a month between when ads are sold for a magazine, and when the magazine actually goes to press and gets mailed out. That said, you'd think LucasArts would have chosen a more stable game to feature in the ad, wouldn't you? Unless Sam & Max Freelance Police was actually cancelled 100% spur of the moment without an ounce of prior warning (not that unlikely, really), they had to have known the game was skating on thin ice a month or so ago. Surely the same people who approved that ad running in Game Developer Magazine were at least only a few doors down from the people casting dubious glances at Mike Stemmle and his team for the last few weeks.

When questioned about the ad and the high possibility that it will severely confuse, anger, or depress the world's game developer community, LucasArts acting Acting General Manager and VP of Finance and Operations Mike Nelson claimed, "We were just testing them. But no, seriously, the game's still cancelled."

Thanks to the Adventure Gamer forums for the tip.
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33 Comments

  • Nath5000 on 07 Apr, 2004, 12:55…
    wow they just proved that they dont care about the fanbase that they cancelled the game and dissapointed. they are officially jackasses and this just reaffirms it
  • Gabez on 03 Apr, 2004, 07:57…
    Okay FFS you really should have waited till April 2nd for this news. ;

    Still - it's real - WTF are LucasArts playing at. >:
  • jmartin on 02 Apr, 2004, 15:20…
    Ok, its April 2nd. Is this real or not?
  • Remi O on 02 Apr, 2004, 15:30…
    Real.
  • Marek on 02 Apr, 2004, 14:14…
    Uhm guys, it wasn't a joke. It's a real ad.
  • Marek on 02 Apr, 2004, 14:14…
    (I'm the authority on this type of thing, by the way.)
  • Marek on 02 Apr, 2004, 14:15…
    (It wasn't his voice.)
  • Haggis on 02 Apr, 2004, 13:21…
    Can someone scan the whole page that ad came from? :)
  • Guyfrench Threepwood on 02 Apr, 2004, 09:59…
    I have known better April fools jokes...
    Besides, i'd rather cry again than laugh *sob*
  • Zomantic on 02 Apr, 2004, 08:23…
    Ah, that's a joke!
  • Zomantic on 02 Apr, 2004, 08:24…
    It's real, you stupid sucker!
  • ThunderPeel2001 on 02 Apr, 2004, 06:21…
    What happened to the time honoured "hilarious" MixNMojo April Fool's joke? First no SamNMax, now this.... *sob!*
  • Mad Lord Snapcase on 02 Apr, 2004, 03:55…
    So it's april 2nd. When are you going to reveal that the "cancellation" of Sam and Max 2 was just a horrible, horrible twisted joke? Eh? Eh? *whimpers*
  • RumRogerz on 02 Apr, 2004, 02:59…
    If only i could channel my hatred for lucasarts into some type of bomb thing. A bomb thing that would explode with the forces of a thousand tortured souls!

    But no, seriously, LucasArts sucks some serious 60 year old man dick... on viagra, no doubt.
  • Dalixam on 02 Apr, 2004, 03:05…
    That was uncalled for. I mean, there's no reason to portray 60 year old men as cheap impotent whores.
  • RumRogerz on 02 Apr, 2004, 11:00…
    No offence. I'm jsut very angerd. And i never said 60 year old men are cheap..
    nor will they ever be
  • seanr on 01 Apr, 2004, 22:21…
    Lucasarts sure does find new ways to kick us while we're down
  • PirateKingChris on 01 Apr, 2004, 20:55…
    *scratches his head* If this is a Mojo joke, it's horrible evil...I saw the headline and my heart leapt into my throat for a second. But if it's real...it's just...ridiculous. LucasArts sux.
  • remixor on 02 Apr, 2004, 05:33…
    It's definitely real, I have a physical copy of the magazine it was scanned from.
  • Gabez on 01 Apr, 2004, 18:24…
    Nice! It really looks like a scan! Also I have the font that they used. :~
  • remixor on 02 Apr, 2004, 05:35…
    It's actually real though
  • JBRAA on 01 Apr, 2004, 19:09…
    :-*
  • csenosiain on 01 Apr, 2004, 17:58…
    Extremely nice work guys.
  • Marek on 02 Apr, 2004, 07:22…
    It's real :P
  • remixor on 01 Apr, 2004, 17:29…
    Heh, Marek and I also took a picture of LEC's big booth poster which featured Sam and Max in the lower left. We were contemplating going up to one of their representatives and saying something like "Hey, that's Sam and Max! Are you guys working on a sequel to Hit the Road or something?"
  • Kingzjester on 01 Apr, 2004, 17:48…
    You're a bunch of wussies. You should've done that. I would've done that. I could've done that.

    Wait, I wasn't there. Oh, well.
  • remixor on 02 Apr, 2004, 05:33…
    I really wanted to, but believe it or not the line for their booth was far too long. They were taking interviews for people who wanted to apply for game tester postitions at the company.
  • spaff on 01 Apr, 2004, 15:40…
    what are they planning to do with these new recruits?

    they already have shit losds of the guys doing nothing.... maybe they are replacing all the staff that want to leave NOW
  • JBRAA on 01 Apr, 2004, 18:16…
    I've never heard of LucasArts needing to advertise jobs in a game mag. Many years ago, there was the buzz and hype about working at LucasArts. So haveing to actually advertise now, would mean their hype is flat out gone. No?
  • Trunks on 02 Apr, 2004, 11:11…
    IIRC, LEC has advertised in Game Developers Magazine every now and then the last couple of years.
  • jp-30 on 01 Apr, 2004, 15:37…
    Nice work. :-)
  • Deez on 01 Apr, 2004, 15:26…
    I really hate that company. I mean I seriously hate them.
  • guybrushthedwarf on 01 Apr, 2004, 15:23…
    Right now, I'm confused.