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Disney draws up 20 games on Steam, including Epic Mickey 2
Disney Interactive jumped into the magical world of Steam this week, launching 20 PC games on the platform. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two ($17.99) is among the list of games from the publisher now available on Steam, and the one on the list that is new to PC entirely. Epic Mickey 2 first launched in November 2012 to an unenthusiastic reaction at retail, leading to developer Junction Point's closure in January 2013. Disney also dropped the price on each game on Steam by 10 percent until Sunday, October 12. The complete list, which features Pure ($17.99) and Split/Second ($17.99 each), can be found after the break. The launch sale page also includes five game packs, such as the seven-game "Other-Worldly Adventure Pack." [Image: Disney Interactive]
Epic Mickey 2 mouses around on Vita June 18
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two charges onto Vita in a few weeks time. SCE America announced a release date of June 18 this morning. The Vita port of the co-op game is also confirmed for Europe, although that remains undated for now. SCE America says the Vita version, being handled by Blitz Game Studios, features ad hoc network support. Lots of the additions center on the touchscreen, including being able to control paint, thinner, and the electric beam of Oswald (the one that's not Mickey). The touchscreen can also be used to command AI and navigate the user interface, among a number of other actions. Disney closed original developer Junction Point earlier this year. The game sold 529,000 units in the US across November and December 2012, having launched for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Wii on November 18. %Gallery-189201%
Disney Interactive down $54 million in Q2
By the end of the second quarter of its fiscal year, Disney Interactive was once again the media conglomerate's only unprofitable sector, reporting a $54 million operating income (read: pre-tax) loss for the three month period ending March 31, 2013. This is, however, a 22 percent year-over-year improvement when compared to Q2 2012's reported operating income loss of $70 million. Disney contributes the loss to "growth at our Japan mobile business from a licensing agreement that started in February 2012 and lower acquisition accounting expense at our social games business." No mention is made of Junction Point Studios, which Disney closed in January after lackluster sales of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, or of the company's forthcoming game/toy platform Disney Infinity.
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two life-to-date sales 529K in US
Disney's multiplatform Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two sold 529,000 units over November and December of 2012 in the United States, according to new data provided by the NPD group. Joystiq was also informed that sales of Epic Mickey 2, plus Nintendo 3DS title Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion, across North America reached 695,000 units over the same period. An unconfirmed report previously pegged Epic Mickey 2's sales at 270,000 copies.Disney Epic Mickey developer Junction Point Studios was closed today, with the House of Mouse noting it was due to an ongoing effort to address fast-evolving gaming platforms and the marketplace.Junction Point was the last studio standing of Disney's previous attempt to break into the triple-A "core" market, with many studios lost along the way, including the critically acclaimed Pure and Split/Second developer Black Rock Studios. Disney has readjusted its sights and is now developing Disney Infinity.
Rumor: Disney shutters Epic Mickey developer Junction Point
Warren Spector's Junction Point studio has reportedly been shut down by Disney. The word comes from Austin-neighbor Roberts Space Industries, who tweeted, "Second 21 gun salute for a studio in 7 days. Fare-the-well Junction Point! We hope that you all find new studios soon!"We've reached out to Disney for an official statement.Industry veteran George Broussard notes, "The Junction Point rumors have been circulating a while. Warning signs when you give employees 2 months off after shipping."Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two was not a critical nor financial win for Disney, reportedly selling 270,000 copies in North America by the end of 2012.Update: Roberts Space Industries has deleted its previous tweet stating it has "no insider info" on Junction Point's status. Oddly, the site it sources as having provided the info links back to the exact same tweet from RSI regarding the shut down. Disney corporate communications has still not responded to numerous requests for comment.Update 2: Disney confirms closure.
Report: Epic Mickey 2 sold 270K copies in North America last year
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two reportedly sold 270,000 copies in North America by the end of last year, around a million fewer than its Wii-only predecessor in roughly the same amount of time post-release. That's according to the LA Times, which reports it learned the figure from a person with access to recent NPD data.Epic Mickey, released in November 2010, reportedly sold 1.3 million copies by the close of that year. If accurate, Epic Mickey 2's sales represent a commercial plummet for the series, despite the sequel coming to PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U last year in addition to the Wii, not to mention the 700 or so people who worked on the game.In a recent interview, Epic Mickey creator Warren Spector showed plenty of interest in continuing his series, saying "there are plenty of stories still to tell about Wasteland and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse." Going by these figures, Disney might not share his enthusiasm.Update: New information provided places Epic Mickey 2 sales at 529,000 copies in US since November 2012 launch.
Disney Epic Mickey 2 - The Power of Two review: Of mice and meh
Keep track of all of Joystiq's Wii U launch coverage on our Wii U hub page! When an earthquake rattles the denizens of Wasteland, a melancholic dumping ground for Disney creations long forgotten, the Mad Doctor emerges with evil mustache intact – but a nicer public act. He's changed his tune, he says and sings, convincing all within earshot that he's due for a second chance. And never mind that he just burst forth from the earth on a gigantic robot, just as the town broke in half. That's no cause for suspicion, surely.Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is something of a second chance for Junction Point's series, at least to my mind. The first game was tinged with a strange sadness as it caught up with characters discarded by their creators, though what empathy there was came in cutscenes more often than play. Mechanically, Mickey Mouse's house wasn't in order.The sequel promises an improved camera, more elaborate choices, a musical flair, a playable partnership with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and the same exquisite appreciation and restoration of Disney's dusty history. Sadly, these claims of a better game are about as believable as the Mad Doctor's sudden turnaround, and Epic Mickey 2 slides into mediocrity after just a few steps.%Gallery-165274%
Epic Mickey 2 trailer shows another messy way to enter magical worlds
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two teaches players about Disney history, friendship and how fun it is to throw paint around your parent's house. Remember kids, popular fantasy teaches us to enter magic worlds by crawling in a wardrobe, following large strangers, or throwing paint everywhere.
Spector still wants Epic Mickey HD, needs your help
Warren Spector, long-term industry survivor and creative director of Disney's Junction Point Studios, still wants to do a high definition version of Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey for other consoles."It's been about four or five days since I've asked to get that project greenlit. It's not my call to make. I can't even tell you how much I want to see the first game with all the enhancements and improvements we've made on Xbox 360 and PS3," Spector told us today at Gamescom. "Just have all of your readers send emails to Disney corporation and say: 'Warren should make this game.'"Spector told us there are two things he very much wants: "I want to make a duck game and I want to see Epic Mickey on next-gen platforms."But this is Warren Spector we're talking about. Can't he just wave a magical paintbrush and make his dreams come true? He may not have his duck game, but he's got his duck comic."There's only so much clout," he admitted. "When you're talking about the kind of money games cost now, there's only so much you can do."Well, what we can do is just slide the Disney Twitter over to you fine folks reading and you can decide whether to let them know if you want Epic Mickey on HD consoles.
Epic Mickey 2 dev diary illustrates the power of characters
Oswald isn't just a lucky rabbit in Epic Mickey 2 – he owns one of the best inventions we've ever seen, a remote control that turns foe into friend. If only we had that back in middle school! We could've avoided so many swirlies.
Disney Interactive is only division running at a loss
The Walt Disney Company saw the largest earnings in the company's history for the quarter ending June 30, which is all sunshine and lollipops until you get down to the interactive (games) division. A year after gutting nearly all its core projects – and shuttering all core studios except Epic Mickey studio Junction Point (under the protection of Warren Spector) – the interactive division is the only part of the conglomerate operating at a loss.Sales during the quarter were down 22 percent from the same period last year to $196 million, with an operating loss of $42 million, which is better than the $86 million loss last year. The improvement is thanks to social games. The company is still in an "ongoing shift from console games to social and other interactive platforms."There is one exception to that: Junction Point's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, which will be available this November. Hopefully, sales of the sequel will let the House of Mouse continue to show leniency toward Junction Point.
Epic Mickey 2 dev diary expounds on storytelling in a Disney universe
Marv Wolfman – a Marvel and DC comics alumni and not to be confused with an actual wolf man – is working with developer Junction Point Studios as a writing consultant on its upcoming adventure through forgotten nostalgia, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.From the dev diary above, everyone at the studio seems pretty jazzed about the partnership, which is understandable considering that Wolfman was responsible for creating iconic characters like Black Cat, Blade, Starfire, Cyborg, and Tim Drake. He also helped launch the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic series, which any comic fan will tell you was a pretty big deal.Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii in November.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of a Story Trailer
If you missed out on the first Epic Mickey game, you may feel a bit lost regarding the events of the sequel, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. We've got this story trailer to bring you up to speed.
Epic Mickey 2 also coming to PC and Mac on Nov. 18
The plan is for Disney's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two to launch on Xbox 360, PS3 with Move, Wii, PC and Mac on November 18, Junction Point founder Warren Spector said today at San Diego Comic-Con. The launch date was previously confirmed for consoles alone, including the 3DS tie-in title, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Illusion, which is also slated to drop on November 18.The Power of Illusion will pay homage to forgotten and rejected gaming features, drawing inspiration from 16-bit graphics and the 1990 Sega game, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.Spector said it was "totally dumb" that he had none of the characters speak in the first Epic Mickey, and he's rectifying that by having characters not only talk, but sing in Epic Mickey 2. Actor Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights) voices Gus, while Frank Welker (Nibbler in Futurama, at least one character in every cartoon you ever loved) plays Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.Epic Mickey 2 is mature on a level comparable to one of Spector's earlier titles, Deus Ex, backed up by the fact that 54 percent of Epic Mickey players were 18 or older, he said.A second iteration of the Epic Mickey digital graphic novel series, penned by comic veteran Peter David (The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man 2099), is due out this fall.
Warren Spector: 'Ultraviolence' in games going too far
Epic Mickey producer Warren Spector had only a limited view of E3 from within meeting rooms, but he still saw plenty of gruesome violence. "The ultraviolence has to stop," Spector told GI.biz. "We have to stop loving it. I just don't believe in the effects argument at all, but I do believe that we are fetishizing violence, and now in some cases actually combining it with an adolescent approach to sexuality. I just think it's in bad taste. Ultimately I think it will cause us trouble."Spector said he left Eidos in 2004 because of the over-the-top violence he saw overwhelming that company's lineup. "We've gone too far," he said. "The slow-motion blood spurts, the impalement by deadly assassins, the knives, shoulders, elbows to the throat. You know, Deus Ex had its moments of violence, but they were designed - whether they succeeded or not I can't say - but they were designed to make you uncomfortable, and I don't see that happening now." To call Spector's newer efforts "Mickey Mouse games" would be taken as a compliment in multiple ways, we expect.The other troubling trend Spector saw is an increased emphasis on non-game apps at E3, including services like Netflix. "When the games are the least interesting part, there's a problem."
Epic Mickey 2 and 'The Power of Next Gen'
Epic Mickey's first foray was a Wii-exclusive affair. This time around, Junction Point is bringing Mickey's epic-ness to what it's calling "next-gen consoles." We might call them "7-year-old consoles," but, well, Mickey's best bud is from 1920, so we can appreciate the anachronism at play here.
Report: Epic Mickey 2 making a splash on PC and Mac
In addition to debuts on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and a 3DS spinoff, Epic Mickey: The Power of Two is apparently taking a steamboat ride to the PC and Mac. During a London preview event, Junction Point representatives told GameSpy that PC and Mac versions were planned.We were able to check out the upcoming sequel at a recent Disney event -- all of our coverage can be seen through this handy link. We suggest you check out the prototype Wii controllers because oh man they are so adorable!We've contacted Disney to confirm the PC and Mac ports. Stay tuned.
How the power of 700 goes into one Epic Mickey 2
Warren Spector recently told GamesIndustry.biz that over 700 people worldwide were working on his next game, which of course turned out to be Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. To us, that seemed unfathomably vast -- it's larger than Capcom's estimate for Resident Evil 6 by 100 heads. So, in order to get a handle on it, we asked Spector how that roster breaks down."'Breakdown' is a good word for it, actually," he joked. "The internal team size at Junction Point is about the same as it was on the first game. To have any chance [with an AAA game] -- I'm not saying we did succeed or will succeed, that's for you guys to decide -- you need 150-200 people these days. You just can't do it with less."
The power of inclusion in Epic Mickey 2
In retrospect, it's obvious that Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two would be a musical. It's the natural path toward making the Disneyest thing possible, and that's where Junction Point creative director Warren Spector's interests lie. Before I played a demo, I and other press were presented with a cutscene setting up the story.The Mad Doctor makes a dramatic return to Os Town, amidst rumbling earthquakes (thanks for physically making my seat rumble in the theater, Disney), claiming to be reformed and seeking a hero to help him save the people from some unknown calamity.And all this claiming and seeking is done in song. "Help ME, help YOU!" he sing-talks in heavily accented English. It works to convince Oswald to join him, and it worked to convince me that Warren Spector is all about the principles of Disney. I guess I didn't need much convincing there anyway.%Gallery-151342%
Look at these adorable Epic Mickey 2 Wii controller prototypes
You may not get HD graphics if you stick with the Wii for Epic Mickey 2, but you will have the opportunity to experience a more tactile verisimilitude. During a preview event for the sequel, Junction Point showed off prototypes for two new Nunchuk controllers based on in-game items.The first is an updated version of PDP's "Paintbrush Chuk" accessory, designed to mimic Mickey's paintbrush. The new version has the Epic Mickey 2 logo and a glowing blue paint blob at the end of the brush. The second, and inexplicably more desirable of the two, is a Nunchuk based on Oswald's remote device, silver and boxy. It's like a literal "Wii Remote" (except, of course, it's a Nunchuk attached to an existing Wii Remote).Being that these were both prototypes, and the game hadn't even technically been officially announced yet, there weren't any details to be had about pricing or availability. We'll keep you updated, because these silly controllers are fun.%Gallery-151326%
