Disney taps Ludia, Glu, PerBlue, and Gameloft - Report
Media giant's latest games strategy includes increased interest in PC and genres like RPGs and brawlers
Disney is looking to experiment more with its gaming strategy going forward, according to a VentureBeat report. The site reports that Disney senior vice president of games and interactive experiences Kyle Laughlin announced some of the company's plans at Casual Connect USA today.
Disney wants to bring its properties to new genres, Laughlin said, with role-playing games and brawlers mentioned as two possibilities. In addition, it's considering expanding its presence on PC. And while Laughlin said the company has rebooted its gaming strategy, it clearly still wants to employ external development, with the executive announcing a handful of new partners on that front.
The next wave of Disney mobile games will come from publishers Ludia, Glu, and Gameloft, as well as Madison, Wisconsin-based indie development studio PerBlue. Ludia and Glu have prior experience working with licensed properties (Ludia with Universal properties like Jurassic World and Battlestar Galactica, Glu with celebrities like Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian). Gameloft has a lengthy history both of licensed titles and as a Disney partner, having produced Disney Magic Kingdoms as well as numerous Spider-Man games. As for PerBlue, the studio has developed a handful of original free-to-play midcore titles, including location-based RPGs, combat strategy games, and a 3D skateboarding game.
"We are super excited about our partnership with Disney," PerBlue CEO Justin Beck told VentureBeat. "As Kyle's talk outlines, PerBlue and Disney share a very similar view of what is important in game development: take the long-term view to build big hits, do the hard work necessary, listen to the players, and get it right to make awesome experiences for our players."
Disney will announce the projects the aforementioned companies are working on at a later date.