The Walt Disney Company announced yesterdayduring their second quarterly earnings report for 2016 that the fan-favoriteDisney Infinitygame series has been cancelled with the company discontinuing their self-published console business. Moving forward their strategy will be to focus their video game content on licensing the games to other developers and publishers.Disney is also shutting down Avalanche Software, the Utah-based studio responsible forInfinitywith around 300 people losing their jobs.
John Blackburn, SVP & GM ofDisney Infinityreleased a statement to the fans who were noticeably shocked by the news, saying
“From the beginning, Disney Infinity was built for you—our fans—and I wanted to take a moment to thank you not just for your support over the years, but for creating a community that made Disney Infinity more than just a game. Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it.”
Disney head honchoBob Igeralso commented on the cancellation, saying that the risk had caught up with the company. Though they were pleased with the success of the first release, sales went downhill after that. He added,
“The video game business is a changing business. We did not have enough confidence in the business in terms of it being stable enough. And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project. But most of all, I want to again thank you for making Disney Infinity a part of your lives—and for adding to the Disney legacy by being a part of this community.
The first version ofDisney Infinitywas released in 2013 and featured a number of playable characters from the Disney pantheon such as Captain Jack Sparrow fromPirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Incredible fromThe Incredibles, Jack Skellington fromThe Nightmare Before Christmas, among many others. It was followed by a second installment the following year, focusing mostly on Marvel Super Heroes, allowing players to swing as Spider-Man, fly as Iron Man and Thor, or take to space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The third and final release debuted last year and was built entirely aroundStar Wars, with play sets for the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, andStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
There are still two final retail releases coming, including three new characters fromAlice Through the Looking Glasslater this month with theFinding Doryplay set launching in June. So for the hardcore gamers, looks like you may slowly wean yourself off the title.
