No Time For Rumors Dr. Jones

Many moons ago, LucasArts showed off the Euphoria engine using a new Indiana Jones game. While NaturalMotion's grabby, on-the-fly physics engine has gone on to star in games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, poor Indy has yet to see the fluorescent lights of retail shelves. The demo I saw years ago was definitely intriguing, though I had mostly forgotten about the game until today, when I spotted some news that it was canceled. IGN reported the following:

IGN has heard from multiple sources (both internally at LucasArts and elsewhere) involved in the long-in-development Indiana Jones title for Xbox 360 and PS3 that the game has been cancelled. Unofficially we've heard that developers are being reallocated to other projects and that the new Indiana Jones project that we last reported on in April 2006 is dead in the water.

If you saw Crystal Skull, you might be thinking that it's not such a bad thing to let old Indy rest in peace. On the other hand, if you disregard everything but the original three movies as canon, then this might sadden you like it does me...well, disregard everything except The Fate of Atlantis. Furthermore, if you're one of those heartless bastards who does not like The Last Crusade, you're not invited to read the rest of this article. Go home.

Shortly after the report from IGN, Joystiq talked to someone at LucasArts who obviously didn't get the cancellation memo, and reported this piece of seemingly contrary information:

According to a LucasArts representative, "LucasArts remains absolutely committed to the Indiana Jones franchise. While we are aware that fans have been eagerly awaiting additional information on the upcoming game, they can rest assured that details are forthcoming."

So, is Indiana Jones (and the Staff of Kings) coming to a console near you, or will it vanish faster than Short Round's career? ZING! I kid. I kid. But seriously folks, what's the deal with Temple of Doom? Also, I'm curious to know how many of you were following this game. It seems to have fallen off the radar in the last few years, so I'm not too surprised to see rumors that it has been canceled.

Here's a brief look at what we could (potentially) be missing: