As developers continue to be wrongly omitted from video game credits, an amusing example of quite the opposite has emerged. 24 years after its launch, someone has noticed Tim Schafer is credited for his work on Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, a game he never actually worked on.
Noted by TruckleChuckle, the Star Wars fan shared a screenshot from Podracer's credits in which Schafer is credited as “never actively tried to sabotage the project”. Tagging Schafer hoping for an explanation, the developer has revealed how this happened.
“The Podracing team sat right next to the Grim team at LucasArts. Once, hanging out in their office, I asked, 'What credit are you going to give me on Podracer?',” Schafer replied. "'Why would we give you a credit? You didn't do anything to help make this project!' I said, 'True, but on the other hand, I did nothing to hurt it.' They just couldn't shake the logic I guess!"
Schafer has since reached out to Jon Noles, presumably one of the Podracer devs he convinced to include him in the credits of a game he didn't work on. Another fan has taken to the replies to jokingly ask for Schafer's help in making a sequel happen, requesting that he actively not sabotage Podracer 2.
Someone else has since discovered Schafer's name in the credits of an entirely different Star Wars game he didn't work on. Maesetote has shared a screenshot of the credits for Star Wars: Dark Forces, a game that launched a full four years before Podracer. In those credits, Schafer is listed as being the project's “motivational guru”.
It seems Schafer spent a chunk of his time at LucasArts getting his name on the credits of as many games as possible. I look forward to hearing what exactly convinced the Dark Forces team to include him as the dev team's motivational guru. A crucial role that ensured the game was as polished as possible, I'm sure.
Video game credits have been more a point of contention than something in which amusing easter eggs are waiting to be found lately. A campaign was needed to make sure the original creators of Pac-Man World were added to the remaster's credits. DK Rap writer Grant Kirkhope also hasn't been credited after the song appeared in the Mario movie. That's despite it being used as part of the film's marketing when Seth Rogen listened to it and jokingly commented on how bad it is.