LucasArts partners with Steam to revive classic titles

LucasArts has been sending the video game community into a frenzy of speculations and rumors by teasing at their Monday announcement.  Something about the "old" and the new.

Their Twitter account was buzzing with activity all weekend, and now we finally learn what that big announcement is.  LucasArts has partnered with Steam, Valve's digital distribution service, to bring back classic franchises.  Games from several of these franchises will be made available for download via Steam on Wednesday, July 8,  Note that these ten titles are only the first part in a series of re-releases to Steam, and more will arrive over time:

•  Armed and Dangerous
•  Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
•  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
•  LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure
•  LOOM
•  Star Wars Battlefront II
•  Star Wars Republic Commando
•  Star Wars Starfighter
•  The Dig
•  Thrillville: Off the Rails

This latest partnership reflects the company's plans to "revitalize" its existing portfolio of games from numerous notable franchises.  They're already bringing back Monkey Island, as previously announced.

“This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts’ classic games,” said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. 

“It also gives more people a chance to play our games by making them available long after they’ve disappeared from store shelves. We hope our fans are as excited as we are about our plans and we can’t wait to share what’s coming next. This is just the beginning.”