I'm convinced that Disney is cursed when it comes to video games. Why has Disney not made an epic video game yet? The talent and the passion are there, but the results have not even come close. Let's look at the list
Disney has made numerous bad video games on each console ranging from Mickey's Mousecapades on NES to Toy Story 3 on Wii. These games are just plain bad...but why? The gameplay isn't there, the fun isn't there, and neither is the entertainment value. You might be saying "hey, what about Kingdom hearts...that was a great game...", ya well that wasn't a Disney game. That was a game that involved Disney characters. Disney games are typically of a significant lesser quality.
So let's ask ourselves why the quality games have not come. Disney owns multiple game companies...these are professional game designers, and yet the studio is still lacking. For most of the 1990's and early in the 2000's, Disney didn't really emphasize the role of the video game. That was a bad decision. Video game companies today have created more iconic characters and have more loyal followers then most companies can dream of having. Think of the following franchises: Halo, Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Call of Duty, Mega Man, Madden Football, etc. These franchises are solid; they could have movies (done well, not like the Mario movie we've had in the past), television shows, and maybe even attractions. A video game is more interactive than a movie so a well made character should become more popular than a movie character. DISNEY NEEDS TO CREATE AN ICONIC CHARACTER FROM A VIDEO GAME. To date, I would say that Disney's best video game has been Adventures in the Magic Kingdom on NES. It was tacky and ridiculously hard on some attractions, but the CONCEPT was great. Now look at today's game, the most hyped and invested Disney game lately has been Epic Mickey on Wii. This game had some solid moments, but overall was underwhelming. It had strange gameplay moments, terrible lighting, and the story was so abstract that you just couldn't get into it. I applaud the effort, but they can do better.
What should Disney do?
- Rely more on your professional game companies to make a quality game. Disney should interfere in the development process as minimal as possible.
- Offer up your characters for a good concept. Disney has the characters that can make a great game. A video game lets you experiment with its iconic characters that the company is unable to do in a feature length movie. You can do mickey and the gang racing, mickey and the gang fighting, etc. A game wouldn't have the backlash that a movie would have. START FROM HERE. Make a quality game with its iconic characters.
- Stay away from games based on movies. Toy Story, Aladdin, Cars, Wall-E...I could go on, but look at all the video games based on movies and what do they have in common? They're all terrible. GAMES SHOULD NOT BE BASED ON MOVIES, BUT A MOVIE COULD BE BASED ON A GAME IF ITS DONE WELL.
- Disney should continue to purchase quality game companies and let them create adult oriented games as well as child friendly games.
- Stop making games solely for Wii. Most adults purchase PS3 or XBOX 360 games; since Disney has no agreements with Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, they should publish games on all platforms.
- Invest more in the game companies. Realize that this is going to be a large part of the future of the company.
- Make a modern day Adventures in the Magic Kingdom game. The game had a following and there's a movie coming in the next few years...this is how you capitalize on your brand in this industry.
- With Disney's emphasis on sports and on owning the ESPN brand, Disney should control the sports video game market. They should buy Electronic Arts, which I will address in another post.
Just to compare, look at a modern high quality video game, such as Batman's Arkham Asylum or The Legend of Zelda games. Now look at Epic Mickey and Toy Story Midway Mania. See the difference? THERE SHOULDN'T BE THAT MUCH OF A DIVERGENCE.
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