Bad news for all "Disney Infinity" fans. The Walt Disney Company has decided to discontinue the franchise and game development of the toy-to-life series.
TechRadar reports the end of "Disney Infinity" game and the closure of the franchise. The decision of Disney to discontinue the beloved Disney Infinity also led to the closing down of its developer, Avalanche Software (not to be confused with Avalanche Studios), and dismissing 300 workers as the company shifts its focus away from the game publishing business. Now, all hopes for the Disney Infinity 4.0 has come to an end.
The With films Alice Through the Looking Glass and Finding Dory set for release this year, expect "Disney Infinity 3.0" to release new figures and play sets to support these films. This will be the studios last push after that Disney Infinity is no more, according to Disney.
This unexpected announcement means that all other Disney video games "will transition exclusively to a licensing model," as stated by Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.
Pitaro continued to tell the factors that influenced the decision of the company to discontinue the franchise. He stated that "Disney Infinity" has a "challenging" business model citing a sluggish growth in the toy-to-life market, as indicated in the quarterly earnings of the company, and the high cost of game development. Believe it or not, missing the company's financial goal is the reason for abandoning its inter-active-gaming-toy business, reports Venturebeat.
Meanwhile, the company is setting its eyes on mobile gaming and licensing brands to other developers like Electronic Arts, maker of "Star Wars: Battlefront." The shift of focus is described by the company to be "less risk."
While Disney is giving up from publishing console games that include "Disney Infinity," Disney is likely to boost its presence on mobile gaming. Android and iOS developers and publishers are always searching for an appealing entity that will make their free-to-play business attract more players.
