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Hub AI
Disney Interactive Studios AI simulator
(@Disney Interactive Studios_simulator)
Hub AI
Disney Interactive Studios AI simulator
(@Disney Interactive Studios_simulator)
Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Interactive. Prior to its closure in 2016, it developed and distributed multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide.
Most of the games released by Disney Interactive Studios were typically tie-in products to existing character franchises. On May 10, 2016, as a result of the discontinuation of its Disney Infinity series, Disney shut down Disney Interactive Studios, and exited the first-party home console game development business in order to focus on third-party development of home console video games through other developers. However, it continues to release games for iOS and Android mobile devices under its own label, Disney Mobile, and later revived the Marvel Games and Lucasfilm Games labels for licensing of third-party developed games based on Marvel and Lucasfilm properties respectively.[citation needed] Disney Electronic Content is a spiritual successor to the company.
Disney established its own in house gaming unit, Walt Disney Computer Software, Inc. (WDCS), and it was incorporated on September 15, 1988. WDCS generally used third-party development studios to design spin-off games using its existing portfolio of characters. WDCS failed to meet the high expectations that came with the Disney name, although three of its self-published computer titles – Mickey's Runaway Zoo, Donald's Alphabet Chase and Who Framed Roger Rabbit – sold more than 100,000 copies, the industry equivalent of earning a Gold Record. The underlying issues were later attributed by senior Disney executives as being due to low product quality and lack of understanding of the differences between film and games.
WDCS also published a series of Nintendo (NES) and Gameboy platform game titles with Japanese video game company Capcom. Of these titles, 1989's DuckTales received the most commercial and critical success, selling approximately 1.67 million and 1.43 million copies worldwide respectively, each becoming Capcom's highest-selling titles for their respective platforms. Produced by founding WDCS producer Darlene Waddington, DuckTales' Gameboy version was named "Gameboy Game of the Year" by PC Player Magazine. DuckTales continues to be considered a game with high nostalgic interest and was remade in 2013 as DuckTales: Remastered.
Following DuckTales, WDCS developed and published another NES platform game with Capcom, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Rescue Rangers proved to be a commercial success, selling approximately 1.2 million copies worldwide, becoming Capcom's fourth highest-selling game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Continuing with the success of these titles, Disney continued to find success with another Capcom developed title, Aladdin and The Lion King (developed by Westwood Studios) in 1993 and 1994 respectively. This led to a move from self-developed and self-published to funding and development management of games with third parties published the game.
Using the film studio style formula, WDCS was reorganized into Disney Interactive, Inc. (DI) on December 5, 1994 with the merging of WDCS and Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications.
On April 15, 1997, Disney Interactive announced it would exit the in-house video game market and reduce its staff by 20%. The company would instead license out Disney properties to third-party developers and publishers, of which the development and production cost risks were transferred to the game companies but reduced the per-unit revenue generated to Disney and effectively yielded a near 100% margin of licensed game sales.
On February 27, 1999, Disney Interactive signed a six-game publishing contract with Activision to release titles for the Nintendo 64, starting with A Bug's Life. In May, Disney signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Nintendo which would mainly focus on video games featuring Mickey Mouse on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, which would be developed by then-Nintendo partner Rare. The Game Boy Color would also see titles based on Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast. Another worldwide publishing deal was made with Ubi Soft in the same month for games based on Donald Duck and other Disney animated films which later included Dinosaur. In November, the company published a CD-ROM title based on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which went on to sell one million copies in four weeks.
Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Interactive. Prior to its closure in 2016, it developed and distributed multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide.
Most of the games released by Disney Interactive Studios were typically tie-in products to existing character franchises. On May 10, 2016, as a result of the discontinuation of its Disney Infinity series, Disney shut down Disney Interactive Studios, and exited the first-party home console game development business in order to focus on third-party development of home console video games through other developers. However, it continues to release games for iOS and Android mobile devices under its own label, Disney Mobile, and later revived the Marvel Games and Lucasfilm Games labels for licensing of third-party developed games based on Marvel and Lucasfilm properties respectively.[citation needed] Disney Electronic Content is a spiritual successor to the company.
Disney established its own in house gaming unit, Walt Disney Computer Software, Inc. (WDCS), and it was incorporated on September 15, 1988. WDCS generally used third-party development studios to design spin-off games using its existing portfolio of characters. WDCS failed to meet the high expectations that came with the Disney name, although three of its self-published computer titles – Mickey's Runaway Zoo, Donald's Alphabet Chase and Who Framed Roger Rabbit – sold more than 100,000 copies, the industry equivalent of earning a Gold Record. The underlying issues were later attributed by senior Disney executives as being due to low product quality and lack of understanding of the differences between film and games.
WDCS also published a series of Nintendo (NES) and Gameboy platform game titles with Japanese video game company Capcom. Of these titles, 1989's DuckTales received the most commercial and critical success, selling approximately 1.67 million and 1.43 million copies worldwide respectively, each becoming Capcom's highest-selling titles for their respective platforms. Produced by founding WDCS producer Darlene Waddington, DuckTales' Gameboy version was named "Gameboy Game of the Year" by PC Player Magazine. DuckTales continues to be considered a game with high nostalgic interest and was remade in 2013 as DuckTales: Remastered.
Following DuckTales, WDCS developed and published another NES platform game with Capcom, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Rescue Rangers proved to be a commercial success, selling approximately 1.2 million copies worldwide, becoming Capcom's fourth highest-selling game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Continuing with the success of these titles, Disney continued to find success with another Capcom developed title, Aladdin and The Lion King (developed by Westwood Studios) in 1993 and 1994 respectively. This led to a move from self-developed and self-published to funding and development management of games with third parties published the game.
Using the film studio style formula, WDCS was reorganized into Disney Interactive, Inc. (DI) on December 5, 1994 with the merging of WDCS and Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications.
On April 15, 1997, Disney Interactive announced it would exit the in-house video game market and reduce its staff by 20%. The company would instead license out Disney properties to third-party developers and publishers, of which the development and production cost risks were transferred to the game companies but reduced the per-unit revenue generated to Disney and effectively yielded a near 100% margin of licensed game sales.
On February 27, 1999, Disney Interactive signed a six-game publishing contract with Activision to release titles for the Nintendo 64, starting with A Bug's Life. In May, Disney signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Nintendo which would mainly focus on video games featuring Mickey Mouse on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, which would be developed by then-Nintendo partner Rare. The Game Boy Color would also see titles based on Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast. Another worldwide publishing deal was made with Ubi Soft in the same month for games based on Donald Duck and other Disney animated films which later included Dinosaur. In November, the company published a CD-ROM title based on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which went on to sell one million copies in four weeks.