Should Disney get back into video game development?

[CheerfulAshlee]

I heard Disney gave up entirely after Disney Infinity.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/11/why-disney-unexpectedly-quite-the-video-game-business.html

Which is a shame since I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and Epic Mickey.

Should Disney buy out a large game studio such as EA or even Nintendo? Or should they create a studio from the ground up?

Should Disney contribute to the video game medium by creating new video game universes, stories, and characters?

Isn't it about time that we have a video game that is just as good as any Pixar or Disney movie?

 

[goro]

oh damn, that's a shame. the majority were bad as far as i know but i absolutely loved epic mickey and want to try out kingdom hearts sometime. though the thought of them buying out a large game studio is a huge no for me. they already have enough of a monopoly on the animation industry...
i think disney's way of storytelling is generally moreso suited for non-interactive media.

 

[Tao]

Some of my favourites would be Castle/Land/World of Illusion, Magical Quest, Mickey's Wild Adventure, Aladdin, Epic Mickey, Lion King, Infinity and Toy Story 2...I guess Kingdom Hearts, though I struggle to see it as a real Disney game.

But as for Disney coming back with a development studio? Nah. They were always fairly hit or miss. Most of their best games (IMO) were licenced out to companies like SEGA, Capcom and Squaresoft/Enix. If they come back with their own studio then great, but I really wouldn't care if they just licence stuff out like they used to either.

Which is a shame since I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and Epic Mickey.

Kingdom Hearts is developed by Square Enix, not Disney. They merely have the licence to use Disney properties.

 

[Romaki]

I don't think that Disney needs to stretch itself further and create half-assed products in all areas. I'd definitely love to see more games with Disney properties, but I rather see it done by an actual gaming developer who knows what entertains all ages. The old platformers are fun and Disney made some great games, but a lot of them are just merchandise for movies and most of them just had that passion missing. If Disney wants to get back into gaming, it should be via a better development studio.

 

[Trent the Paladin]

Honestly I don't see a need for them to get back into gaming, they've shown that they get antsy about it and the minute it stops printing money for them they pull out. They're better off with the routes they're choosing now, partnering with companies established in the industry and letting them develop games based off Disney IP (Square Enix with Kingdom Hearts and the Avengers, EA with Star Wars, Sony with Spider-man). Really the only developer there so far with problems is EA and DICE's lackluster performances with both Star Wars Battlefront 1 and Star Wars Battlefront II.

 

[DarkDesertFox]

It's a shame since they've got such a diverse line of characters and stories to work with. I personally think Disney Infinity lost sales because it made Disney Infinity 2.0 focus around Marvel's Avengers and Disney Infinity 3.0 focus around Star Wars. Sure Star Wars is a part of Disney now but it's really not what people think of when they heard the word "Disney." I personally love Disney Infinity. Got a ton of figures for it during those sales when the game was announced it was cancelled. I really wish they wouldn't give up so easily when it comes to video games. They just need to find a way to market it to a wide audience like Kingdom Hearts series does. It appeals to both younger and older folks.

 

[Tao]

I personally think Disney Infinity lost sales because it made Disney Infinity 2.0 focus around Marvel's Avengers and Disney Infinity 3.0 focus around Star Wars. Sure Star Wars is a part of Disney now but it's really not what people think of when they heard the word "Disney."

I felt that with Infinity. Have all 3 games but the focus on Marvel and Star Wars in 2/3 killed my interest to a degree since they're just not what I bought or wanted in the game. I mostly bought the sequels for the expanded toy sets because I knew most of the characters I like would just get overlooked for stuff I barely recognise as 'Disney'.

Never will I have a Goofy DI figure </3

 

[Hellfish]

Eugh, all the big publishing companies only care about money in video games today. If Disney was to consume the likes of EA it would be the most cancerous thing ever considering EA is full of greedy suits and Disney is just as bad.

Personally I'd like Disney to stay in their corner and not expand anymore as they'll probably ruin everything they touch with their greedy hands.

I miss the days where publishers and developers made games for fun and where getting paid let them make another awesome project. Now they're looking to see how they can implement micro transactions or make their game last through a live service model...

- - - Post Merge - - -

I'm not saying this applies to every developer and publisher though.

 

[ILikeFroakies]

I don't think they should. They're better off putting time and money into movies and not making semi-decent games

 

[MapleSilver]

I could see them continuing to license out their products to actual game studios, since that seems to be fairly low cost for them. To actually buy a game studio, or to create their own would probably be a massive opportunity cost. I'm sure the higher ups at Disney have considered doing this, and have determined that their money would be much better spent elsewhere. To be honest, I'm perfectly fine with them staying in animation. If they ever do start buying game studios, they will probably end up running them into the ground as they attempt to milk every last dollar. We already have EA to do that, so we aren't missing out on anything.