Dark clouds formed over San Rafael, California, today as LucasArts laid off 29 of its employees. Before the layoffs, the head count at the company stood at 418, less than the 430 listed on the LucasArts Web site.

A LucasArts spokesperson told GameSpot the cuts were made "to bring studio staffing levels into line with the current development slate." Other sources said the news was presented to LucasArts employees at a meeting held late Friday afternoon.

The layoffs are the latest staffing woes for the developer and publisher of the various Star Wars franchises. Last October, longtime president Simon Jeffery resigned, saying he wanted to return to his native England with his family. The position of president remains open to this day, as does the director of marketing post, which was recently vacated by Liz Allen.

LucasArts reps would not comment on the status of either of those managerial positions, stating only that the search to fill them is ongoing.