The Walt Disney Company has put a sudden end to Disney Infinity, discontinuing the "toy-to-life" series and giving up on console games altogether.
This shocking move means that all further Disney video games "will transition exclusively to a licensing model," according to Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman for Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.
Pitaro also stated that a lack of growth in the toys-to-life market, as referenced in the company's quarterly earnings and high development costs made production of Disney Infinity a "challenging" business model.
Instead, the Mickey Mouse company is opting to concentrate on mobile gaming and licensing brands out to other developers, such as Electronic Arts with Star Wars: Battlefront. There's "less risk" that way.
Disney Infinity studio shuttered
"Less risk" typically translates into fewer jobs, and that's exactly what's happening to Avalanche Studios, the internal Disney Interactive team that created Disney Infinity.
The two remaining releases for Disney Infinity, figures based on Alice Through the Looking Glass later this month and Finding Dory in June, will be the studio's last hurrah, confirmed Disney Interactive.
"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," said Disney Infinity's Senior Vice President and GM, John Blackburn in his studio sign off. "We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it."
