Sean Shoptaw, senior VP for games and interactive experiences at Disney, gave a talk at the 2020 DICE Summit. He highlighted the company’s new approach to gaming.
Marvel’s Avengers, due out in September 2020
Disney is moving further away from self-publishing, something that, as CEO Bob Iger famously admitted, they “haven’t been particularly good at.” Instead, the company is focusing on licensing its IPs to external developers.
Shoptaw encouraged developers to “come and play” with Disney’s various franchises, while emphasizing the importance of original storytelling and reimagining iconic characters.
Recent successful examples of this approach include Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order from Respawn Entertainment and Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games.
According to EA’s estimates, Jedi: Fallen Order should surpass 10 million sold in the early 2020. 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man has already sold over 13 million copies and became the fastest-selling first-party title in Sony’s history.
Another potential hit based on Disney’s IP is Marvel’s Avengers from Square Enix, which is coming out this September.