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Disney would like developers to “come and play” with its numerous properties to create all-new experiences for established characters and settings (via PC Gamer).
At the 2020 DICE Summit, senior vice president of games and interactive experiences Sean Shoptaw extended the invitation. “I’m here for one specific reason: to empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog],” he said to the audience. “We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry.” Thinking of the moolah made from Kingdom Hearts 3, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it’s no wonder that Disney wants to entice external developers to take a pop at its popular properties.
Respawn Entertainment took souls-like spats to space, and took the Padawan protagonist through “a replayable patch of pathways and secrets that yields the thrill of alien worlds and warms them through with familiarity.” In Insomniac Games’ New York, Peter Parker swung from building to building in “a wholly fresh story that spends time appreciating the past rather than aping it.” And, acting as the end of the Dark Seeker Saga, Kingdom Hearts 3 drew a crowd and became both the fastest-selling and best-selling game in the series. Disney has so, so, so many properties in its portfolio and it is dizzying to think about the possibilities.
Still, to those who rise to the challenge, Shoptaw said that the company wants to see a “reimagining” of its franchises in the creative and capable hands of developers from around the world. I don’t think we’ll see A Plague Tale: Ratatouille, though, as it does have an image to uphold.
