As it turns out, Disney Infinity is anything but infinite. I regret to inform you that Disney has shut down game development company Avalanche Software, resulting in a $147 million charge, laying off close to 300 employees and ending Disney Infinity. Disney has also stated that they are going to stop self-publishing their own games, with the exception of mobile games, in favor of outsourcing to publishers like Electronic Arts, Square Enix, etc. This news comes not completely unexpected due to Disney recently pulling out of E3 2016, and announcing that there would be no Disney Infinity 4.0 in favor of expanding Disney Infinity 3.0.
Disney Infinity is Disney‘s toys-to-life trilogy that started with the release of Disney Infinity in 2013 and is ending with the recent release of Disney Infinity 3.0 in 2015. While Disney Infinity isn’t an online game (and thus people would assume they won’t be affected), it will suffer from the lack of Disney support due to the main concept of the game being able to download other people’s “toy boxes” that they create (similar to Super Mario Maker). Disney has stated that they are working on two final play-sets, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Finding Dory. The servers will (most likely) shut down sometime after the release of these play-sets.
John Blackburn, Studio Vice President and General Manager of Avalanche Software, released the following statement on the Disney Infinity site.
“By now you may have heard the news that we have made the difficult decision to discontinue production of Disney Infinity. From the beginning, Disney Infinity was built for you—our fans—and I wanted to take a moment to thank you not just for your support over the years, but for creating a community that made Disney Infinity more than just a game.
Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it. So what’s next for Disney Infinity? We have two final retail releases coming, including three new characters from Alice Through the Looking Glass later this month, and the Finding Dory Play Set launching in June.
And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project. But most of all, I want to again thank you for making Disney Infinity a part of your lives—and for adding to the Disney legacy by being a part of this community.”
I, and I’m sure most of my colleagues here at Nerd Bacon, are deeply saddened by the many people who have lost their jobs due to this closure. I have seen many game development companies send out tweets offering jobs to those who have lost theirs’ due to this layoff, including (but not limited to) 2K Games, Ubisoft, Sony and more. To the Avalanche Software staff, thank you for making a great game, a great experience, and for all the lives you have touched.
I have been an avid player and collector of the Disney Infinity series since the release of 3.0, all three games of which I was working on reviewing for Nerd Bacon, which I still plan to publish at a later date. I am deeply saddened by the news, and I hope to see the project sold or revived in the future, though it currently seems unlikely. If there is a positive in this depressing situation, I hope that this news opens the door for Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel characters in Lego Dimensions.
Redditor captain-jenny changes the name of her Disney Infinity box to Disney Finite.
Written by Justicescooby
Widget not in any sidebars
Hello, I’m Justicescooby! I’ve been playing video games since I was a little kid, and recently I made the switch to primarily PC gaming. I have my own YouTube channel where I upload gaming videos daily, and I am an active member of many gaming communities/forums. I enjoy writing, whether it be my books I never seem to finish, or writing reviews or articles. I am also an aspiring singer and actor, and currently take singing lessons.
