Raven Software releases Jedi Knight source code

Following the closure of LucasArts at the hands of its new owner Disney, Raven Software has released the source code for its two entries to the Jedi Knight series.

The code for the single player modes of Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy is available from Sourceforge under a GNU general public license. Activision remains the owner of its copyright.

'We loved and appreciated the experience of getting to make Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy for LucasArts,' said Raven Software in a statement to Kotaku Australia. 'As a gift to the persistently loyal fanbase for our Jedi games and in memory of LucasArts we are releasing the source code for both games for people to enjoy and play with.'

The two Raven Software Jedi Knight games, released in 2002 and 2003 respectively, were built on the Id Tech 3 engine from Quake 3. Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast put players in the shoes of Kyle Katarn, an ex-imperial roguish Jedi created in the prior three Dark Forces games and Jedi Academy cast players as Jaden Korr, a young jedi student, allowing players to define the look and gender of the character themselves.

Both games are remembered fondly for their effective mix of first person gunplay and third person light-sabre combat in combination with a variety of force powers including the iconic force grip and lightning abilities. Jedi Knight 2 is also remembered by many for giving players a light-sabre and then immediately dumping them in a level full of snipers whose shots could not be deflected.

Disney acquired both LucasArts and LucasFilm last year for approximately £2.5bn and is working on a new Star Wars trilogy set after the original three films.

The house of mouse closed LucasArts earlier this week, confirming that it will move the company to a licensing structure as opposed to focusing on internal development. One of the casualties of the move was the much anticipated Star Wars 1313, a title in early development which would have focused on the Star Wars universe's criminal underworld through the eyes of bounty hunter Boba Fett.