Disney Interactive recently laid off 250 people due to the failure of Epic Mickey and other games they recently released, and now the news gets ever worse: the studio has confirmed that an additional 80 positions will be cut at their development houses. The goal is to cut operating costs by 25 percent in the division, which is going to be hard, considering that Disney Interactive employs some 3,500 developers, artists and software engineers.
Disney Interactive is undergoing a restructuring plan to turn the division into a profitable one. The layoffs are a part of that restructuring, but may we advise a simple plan to actually make great games that people would buy?
Disney Interactive has cut 250 jobs from its videogame division, led by major cutbacks at Junction Point, the Warren Spector-led studio behind the recent flop Epic Mickey. Other Disney Studios which were hit with layoffs was Split/Second developer Black Rock Studios.
This comes less than a week after Disney closed Propaganda Games. Earlier financial reports stated that Disney’s game division lost $234 million last year, usually a sign of layoffs to come.
Disney has revealed a Collector’s Edition of their upcoming game tie-in to the film Tron Legacy, called Tron Revolution. The bundle will include the game, a figurine Light Cycle with a display case and… that’s about it. Price: $130. Release date: December 7 (for the regular version as well), on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Are you a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that series director Tetsuya Nomura has just announced that Kingdom Hearts 3 is in development. He then went on to say that two titles besides Kingdom Hearts 3 in the works and hopes to have one released this year. There’s no telling when exactly that title will be released but he has said that Sora will be making a return as the title’s hero.
We’ll update you when more information is made known.
via destructoid
The Walt Disney Company has announced today that they are going to acquire the comic book company Marvel Entertainment. The deal will happen through a stock and cash transaction. The transaction value is at $50 a share, or $4 billion in total.
“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter, Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”
Disney will now have control of over 5,000 comic book characters. On a business perspective, it can be seen as a good move, but die-hard comic book fans might not be so pleased.
It seems that LEGO is gearing up to launch a Prince of Persia themed series of their iconic bricks. This is apparantly a marketing deal that Disney signed with LEGO to promote the movie coming out next April.
Anyways, pictured above is a snapshot of the Prince of Persia LEGO series that was recently shown off during Comic Con and from the looks of it they are exactly what we’d expect; LEGO toys.
If this is your kind of thing expect to see the Prince of Persia LEGO sets hit shelves right around the franchise’s big screen debut.
via Kotaku
We first heard about the Wireless Xbox 360 Microphone back in the beginning of April when Microsoft unveiled some new Lips DLC.
Well, it seems that Microsoft has again set their sights on the wireless mic as they have said the peripheral, which is compatible with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Lips, and even Disney Sign It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, will ship to retail this fall.
The Wireless Microphone is expected to cost $49.99. Hey, you didn’t think a Microsoft developed product would be cheap, did you?
Read (Ripten)
It was recently announced that Disney and LEGO have inked a deal that will allow a Prince of Persia LEGO series to be produced.
But what does this mean for us gamers, considering the toys are based on the movie and not the actual game?
Well, if there are toys based on Prince of Persia, this could mean that there is potentially a LEGO Prince of Persia video game in the works.
Press release after the break. READ ON »
It’s been almost three months since High School Musical 3 hit theaters, but it just won’t die. Disney Interactive announced yesterday that Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year will be released for the Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, and PS2. One can dare to purchase it on February 17th. The title has already making Europeans suffer since November.
The karaoke game will feature ten songs from the High School Musical 3, and fifteen from the first two movies. One can sing along with up to eight preteens all at once to the same song. The game comes bundled with a Logitech microphone, or can also be bought standalone.
Disney sent out word that a playable demo for Pure will arrive for PS3 and Xbox 360 owners this Thursday.
The demo will offer the Italy-based Mount Garda track, with players competing in a three-lap race against 15 AI opponents.
In development at Black Rock Studio, the offroad racing game will hit PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this Fall.
