LucasArts helpless as another key man walks out

LucasArts admitted last night that one of its most important developers has walked out on the company.

Haden Blackman yesterday brought an end to his thirteen year spell at LucasArts by saying that “now is the best time to explore new creative challenges”.

His distinguished career at the company culminated with project lead roles on both The Forced Unleashed and its upcoming sequel, as well as executive roles on numerous other projects.

”I’ve had a fantastic time working with the team at Lucasfilm and am really grateful for their ongoing support,” Blackman said in a statement to IGN.

He said the decision to quit LucasArts “did not happen overnight or come easily”, though he is no doubt aware that the move adds to what is now a perplexing number of walkouts at the company.

In May this year Darrell Rodriguez walked out on his job as president of LucasArts – bringing an end to a two year spell at the key position. It was widely reported that several key execs had left the company with him, though these details were not confirmed by the company.

LucasArts said Blackman’s departure would not affect the Force Unleashed 2 project schedule.