Disney wants game developers to ‘reimagine’ its franchises, says exec

A senior executive at Disney’s games operation has suggested that the company could be open to licensing more of its properties to external game developers.

Citing the successful releases of EA’s Jedi: Fallen Order and Sony’s Marvel Spider-man, Disney’s games VP Sean Shoptaw told attendees at the 2020 DICE Summit it places importance on “reimagining” its properties in games.

The Disney exec reportedly invited game developers in the room and throughout the industry to “come and play” with its extensive catalogue of franchises.

“I’m here for one specific reason: to empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog],” the exec told the crowd of game developers (via Hollywood Reporter). “We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry.”

Disney has held an exclusive publishing deal with EA for Star Wars games on consoles since 2013.

During its Q3 earnings call in January, EA announced that Jedi: Fallen Order had sold “beyond our projections for the quarter,” and later claimed that it “hit the high-end” of its expected sales of between eight and six million units.

Additionally, CFO and COO Blake Jorgensen increased the company’s projections for the game, saying EA anticipated it would reach 10 million units by the end of March.