- Standing guard at an office complex in the Presidio of San Francisco, you'll find a small and familiar wise figure from one of the most beloved films of all time.
- Lucasfilm, the legendary production company behind the "Star Wars" film franchise, chose to relocate most of its operations to the former Army base in 2005 to encourage collaboration between its gaming and cinema divisions and to tap into the region's workforce.
- Lucas may have intended for the company's gaming division to play a bigger role in the long run at the Presidio headquarters, but LucasArts development was shut down when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion. It went on to function as a licensor and publisher.
- The rest of the company's operations are humming right along, with Industrial Light and Magic — the special effects division — devoting its efforts to recent blockbusters like Disney's "Aladdin" and "Avengers: Endgame."
- You can't tour the Lucasfilm facilities, but you can visit the lobby, which is stocked with "Star Wars" memorabilia. Take a look around.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Lucas has long favored Marin County, California — about 40 miles north of San Francisco — over Hollywood for the location of its gaming, cinema, and sound divisions, the latter of which is still housed at Skywalker Ranch.
Source: CBS San Francisco
But in 2005, Lucas decided to move much of the company's operations and over 1,300 employees from the seclusion of Marin County to San Francisco, specifically to the city's Presidio park.
Source: SF Gate
The 1,500-acre park was once a US Army base that now houses residents, startups, tech offices, and organizations.
And Lucasfilm is the park's biggest tenant. Its office was built on the site of a decommissioned Army hospital.
Source: Presidio
It's located on the eastern edge of the park as part of the Letterman Digital Arts Center, a four-building complex that houses Industrial Light and Magic (its special effects division,) LucasArts (its game division,) and the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
Source: Presidio
Lucas chose to merge the offices of the company's divisions to create a state-of-the-art digital entertainment facility that would allow cross-division use of valuable company assets and technology.
Source: SF Gate
The idea was that game developers and special effects gurus would work alongside each other on the 23-acre campus as part of Lucasfilm's overarching goal to encourage collaboration between its gaming and cinema efforts and technology.
Source: SF Gate
It didn't hurt that the company's move to the Presidio made it even further integrated into the city, whose world-class pool of tech talent would be, and still is, more readily available.
But the studio had long invested too much of its energy and technology into games within the "Star Wars" universe, and LucasArts struggled to produce consistent hits in an already wobbling traditional gaming industry, as reported by Venture Beat.
Source: Venture Beat
So when Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for $4 billion, the new owner shut the LucasArts division down, laying off a number of employees and ceasing all in-house development. LucasArts acts as a licensor and publisher now.
Source: SF Examiner
Just like at Skywalker Ranch to the north, access to the Presidio's Lucasfilm headquarters is limited — the public can only venture into the lobby for a glimpse at memorabilia from the studio's beloved franchise.
Source: Presidio
But the visit is well worth it.
And even if it's not, at least the views are — this vantage point offers some of the best sights in the city.
