It wasn’t all too long ago when Disney attempted to make a serious push into the video game industry. Attempting to create both original IP and games based off it’s wide catalog of properties, the venture didn’t last long, with Disney shutting down the majority of its development studios. However, there’s one person in particular who thinks the mega corporation should get back into game development—gaming icon Warren Spector. Considering his history with Disney, his words hold a little more weight.
He said the company’s exit from the industry was “a real shame,” he believes that, given the sheer amount of properties under the company’s umbrella, it has the potential to make a real impact on the industry. “With the properties they control, I think just being a licensing organization (sic) is a real shame.”
Spector, known for having in hand in some of the most legendary properties like Deus Ex and System Shock, partnered up with Disney with the 2010 Wii exclusive Epic Mickey. While that title was, in his own words, his best-selling title “by far,” its 2012 sequel, which went multiplatform, was a financial disappointment. Its performance led to Disney’s closure of Spector’s Junction Point Studios.
Disney began to cool its efforts following that, though it went big with its Disney Infinity series. Despite taking advantage of the entire Disney library, including The Avengers and Star Wars, Disney eventually pulled the plug on Disney Infinity, even though a hugely ambitious fourth installment was in development.
This coincided with Disney’s decision that it was no longer in video game development, instead opting to license its properties to outside developers. Examples of this, for better or worse, include the Star Wars deal with EA, and the Marvel-Square Enix deal. And there seem to be no plans in place for the company to make any serious push for internal development, despite its power.
Few, if any, companies rival Disney in terms of entertainment properties. Besides its library of classic franchises, from Mickey Mouse to Frozen, it also has control of Marvel, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. Its power increased even more with its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, giving it ownership of things like Alien and Predator, among many others.
Though he’s no longer affiliated with Disney, Spector is still keeping busy. He’s currently working on System Shock 3, which is currently looking for a new publisher. However, Spector also said he “would go back in a heartbeat” if Disney called him up again.
[Source: Video Games Chronicle]
