Academy of Flight
| Academy of Flight | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Eurocom |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | Rob Matthews |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Release | Cancelled |
Academy of Flight, also referred to as LEGO Flight, is a cancelled LEGO video game developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software between 2001 and 2002. It was planned as an action game featuring the use of aerial vehicles, and would have been released alongside a LEGO theme celebrating the 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003. Academy of Flight was cancelled early into development in favour of a James Bond game Eurocom was also developing, and its only official mention comes from a 2001 press release regarding a publishing agreement between Electronic Arts and LEGO Interactive.
Development
Academy of Flight was developed at Eurocom Entertainment Software under the name LEGO Flight during late 2001 and early 2002. Rob Matthews worked as the game's project manager, which was his first assignment upon joining Eurocom in October 2001. Matthews was put in charge of a small team creating a pitch document for the game, which would have been based on a proposed LEGO toy line planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first sustained powered flight by the Wright brothers. While the development team was not shown any proposed designs for the toy line, Matthews recalled in 2019 that it was intended to feature notable 20th century aircraft, including the Wright Flyer, a Boeing 747, and a Space Shuttle. In late 2001 Matthews and his team were flown to the LEGO Group's headquarters on one of the company's private jets, where they met some of the company's staff and toured their facilities and factory.[1]
The LEGO Flight pitch was developed further during the first two months of 2002, deciding on a game similar to Blast Corps where the player would use aerial vehicles to rescue people. The game was planned to be developed for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Though the team presented the game pitch to LEGO, the project ultimately fell through due to Eurocom prioritising the production of the James Bond title 007: Nightfire, which Matthews joined the development of in April 2002.[1] Matthews continued working at Eurocom as a project manager until November 2012,[2] when the company laid off 150 of its nearly 200 employees; Eurocom laid off the remaining 42 employees and shut down the following month.[3][4]
Academy of Flight was announced in a press release on 10 December 2001, where it was listed as one of the LEGO Software franchises to be co-published under a three-year agreement between Electronic Arts and the LEGO Company.[5][6] This would be the game's only official mention. The centenary of flight toy line it was intended to be based on was seemingly also cancelled, though a LEGO set of the the Wright Flyer, designed by Henrik Andersen, was released in 2003 as set number 10124.[1][7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matthews, Rob (25 March 2019). "Information about Academy of Flight". Rock Raiders United (interview). Interviewed by Brickome. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019.
- ↑ "Robert Matthews". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Information sourced from Rob Matthews on LinkedIn.
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (23 November 2012). "GoldenEye Reloaded, 007 Legends dev Eurocom hit by job losses". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012.
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (7 December 2012). "James Bond developer Eurocom makes remaining staff redundant, ceases trading". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012.
- ↑ Ahmed, Shahend (10 December 2001). "EA to copublish LEGO games". GameSpot. CNET Networks, Inc. Archived from the original on 2 August 2003.
- ↑ Bergman, Thomas (11 December 2001). "Lego & EA Team Up". WorthPlaying.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2001.
- ↑ "10124: Wright Flyer". Brickset. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
