Image via Disney Epic Mickey Video Game on Facebook
Disney Interactive Studios has confirmed the closure of Junction Point Studios, developer of the Epic Mickey franchise, which was acquired by Disney in 2007 as it sought to extend its reach in the world of video games.
Junction Point’s Epic Mickey came in 2010 for Nintendo Wii. The game follows the iconic Mickey Mouse in his attempts to rebuild a world he accidentally damaged with the help of a magic paintbrush and is known for presenting the usually bubblegum-sweet character in a more dark and complex way.
Epic Mickey was a hit, selling 1.3m copies in its first month, and was followed last year by Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Despite being available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U, as well as Wii this time around, the sequel did not achieve the same commercial success and sold just over 500,000 copies by year-end following its November release.
A Nintendo 3DS game, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion was developed separately by DreamRift.
In a statement released Tuesday, 29 January, Disney Interactive Studios announced the closure of Junction Point Studios as part of a reorganisation of its games division in order to better address the fast-evolving gaming market and prioritise its resources accordingly.
