Joystiq

Disney Infinity pushed back to Aug. 18 NA, Aug. 20 overseas, Aug. 23 UK

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:00:00 EST

Disney Infinity signs on in North America on August 18, with the international release in most regions set for August 20. Speaking to the New York Times, Disney Interactive co-president John Pleasants said the multiplatform game's two month delay from an initial June window was one of "opportunity" rather than necessity.

"We could deliver in June if we wanted to," Pleasants told the New York Times. "Will a two-month timing change help us? Sure, of course. It gives us a little more time to add bells and whistles and make sure it really sings and pops."

When approached, Disney Interactive provided us with the folllowing statement from Pleasants: "We have moved the launch date for Disney Infinity to August 18 to capitalize on the critical fall retail season."

A Disney Interactive spokesperson also told Joystiq the UK release date is August 23.

Disney Infinity, which incorporates physical Disney toy figures and spans many of the company's high profile properties, looks a powerful competitor to Activision's Skylanders series. While the New York Times reports Pleasants "downplayed comparisons" between the two franchises, he did say of Skylanders Swap Force's fall release that "it's good to be first and really lean into the most important selling season of the year."

Disney Infinity pushed back to Aug. 18 NA, Aug. 20 overseas, Aug. 23 UK originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform

Mike Schramm — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:15:00 EST

The signs were all there in the rumors leading up to yesterday's big Disney Infinity reveal in Los Angeles. Disney's been working on a new gaming "platform," designed to bring all of its properties together in one IP spanning across multiple consoles and outlets. But the one note we missed was the most important: this game is connected to a series of real toys that interact with Disney's digital worlds, Skylanders-style.

There are a few important differences, but the similarities between Activision's enormously popular toys-into-games platform and Disney's new Infinity initiative are quite striking. Both are inspired by smaller developers with big ideas: Toys for Bob on the Activision side, and Avalanche Software on Disney's, which developed the "Toy Box" idea in a much smaller form as part of the Toy Story 3 game. Both are big, expandable product lines with lots of options for console (and eventually mobile) titles, and both take retail-friendly physical toys and tie them directly into engagement-friendly video game experiences.

Oh, and both franchises are probably going to make their owners lots and lots of money.

Gallery: Disney Infinity

Continue reading Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform

Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumor: Disney Infinity is a sandbox game for consoles, iOS and Android

David Hinkle — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:45:00 EST

Next month, Disney Infinity will be revealed to the press at an event in Los Angeles. Aside from a lenticular invitation, there's nothing else concrete on Disney Infinity right now.

According to a Polygon source, what we're going to see is an open-world sandbox game with characters from Disney and Pixar. It mixes elements of Minecraft, such as building, with Just Cause's open-world gameplay - if you played Toy Story 3: The Video Game, it sounds reminiscent of that game's Toy Box mode. In fact, "Toy Box" is a codename for a project that sounds an awful lot like these rumors about Disney Infinity.

Disney Infinity is rumored to be on multiple platforms, including current consoles, iOS and Android devices, with development duties falling squarely on Utah-based Avalanche Software, the same developer responsible for Toy Story 3: The Game. According to Polygon's report, the mobile versions of Disney Infinity lacked the building aspects seen in the console versions. It also suggests that Disney considers the game as a "platform" to be expanded with more characters and scenarios as time goes by.

Rumor: Disney Infinity is a sandbox game for consoles, iOS and Android originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Avalanche Software lays off 15 - 20 as Disney continues cuts

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:49:00 EST

Utah-based Avalanche Software, developer of the much-praised Toy Story 3 game adaptation -- and not to be confused with Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios -- let go of 15-20 employees as of September 1. Publisher and parent company Disney Interactive confirmed the layoffs to Gamasutra in a statement: "Avalanche Software has completed a restructuring that resulted in the reduction of a small number of positions."

Avalanche Software is the latest studio of Disney's affected in a months-long culling process at the Mouse House's game publishing arm, which has so far seen the closure of Propaganda Games, Black Rock Studios, and the cancelation of a Pirates of the Caribbean game.

An unnamed employee affected by the layoffs guessed the current headcount to be around 170 (the company's LinkedIn profile indicates anywhere from 51 to 200 people are employed by the studio), making this month's staff reduction approximately 8 to 11 percent of staff. It's unclear what Avalanche is working on next, and whether this is the end of Disney's bout of "restructuring."

Avalanche Software lays off 15 - 20 as Disney continues cuts originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toy Story 3: The Video Game: The Developer Diary

David Hinkle — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:30:00 EST

You probably don't want to write off Toy Story 3 just because it's a licensed title. We actually had a lot of fun with it and the latest dev diary above shows that Disney and Avalanche are committed to putting out a quality product. It's not simply a slapped together title attempting to cash in on the movie.

There's an actual deep experience here, from the promising platforming shown in the video above, down to the unique character abilities and meticulously recreated environments. And let's not forget that "Toy Box" mode our inner child yearns for.

Toy Story 3 launches on June 15 for pretty much everything.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game: The Developer Diary originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 29 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Disney Interactive hit with layoffs, consolidates studios

Xav de Matos — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST

The hardship brought on by the tough economic climate continues today as Disney Interactive Studios has confirmed it will lay off staff and consolidate studios. The rumor began when a NeoGAF user said "enough people" had told him that Propaganda Games would see "in the neighborhood of 50" layoffs.

GameDaily BIZ spoke with Angela Emery, Vice President of Communications at Disney Interactive Studios, who confirmed the layoffs. However, the situation is worse than originally rumored. While Propaganda Games will see cuts of "less than 30" employees, other studios will also experience losses.

The publisher has decided to consolidate its Fall Line Studio with Avalanche Software, developers of Bolt, Chicken Little, Hannah Montana and The Chronicles of Narnia franchises. Merging the two studios is expected to result in the loss of "less than 20" employees. Emery said that the consolidation would allow the unified studio to focus on the Nintendo Wii, a platform she considers to be "very important." She would not confirm that the cuts at Propaganda Games would cause the cancellation of a rumored Turok sequel.

Disney Interactive's other studios, including Black Rock and Junction Point, will not be affected by the round of layoffs. An internal communication sent to remaining employees by Steve Wadsworth, president of Walt Disney Internet Group (and obtained by Kotaku), can be found after the break.

Continue reading Disney Interactive hit with layoffs, consolidates studios

Disney Interactive hit with layoffs, consolidates studios originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments