Buena Vista to publish own titles in Europe

Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Games (BVG) has announced plans to publish a wide-ranging portfolio of games in Europe, covering multiple platforms and beginning this summer.

BVG has previously focused on producing titles aimed at the children's and family market. The portfolio is now being expanded to include tween, teenage and "core" gamers, with BVG self-publishing rather than signing up to third-party agreements.

Forthcoming BVG titles include The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Chicken Little, both videogame tie-ins with Disney films. They will be released on PS2, PC, Xbox and GameCube.

Buena Vista has confirmed that there will be no change to publishing deals already in place, such as the agreement for THQ to publish The Incredibles or Cars. Capcom still owns the rights to The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's revenge on PS2 and Xbox and Square-Enix will publish Kingdom Hearts II on PS2.

"Our goal is to become a leading player in the videogame industry by providing compelling game experiences on all major platforms by combining the IP that exists within the Walt Disney Company as well as new IP that we can leverage back into the rest of the organization," said Thierry Braille, VP and MD of BVG Europe.