The Walt Disney Company's incoming CEO, Josh D'Amaro, is reportedly planning to focus on "gaming and interactivity" as one of his top priorities when he takes over for Bob Iger in March.
Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that gaming will be one of his "key strategic priorities" running the show at Disney, building on what the entertainment giant is already doing with its $1.5 billion deal with Fortnite maker Epic.
"He sees the digital realm--and Epic is a manifestation of that--as a very important place for fans to interact with their favorite characters, franchises, and brands in a comprehensive way that you can monetize and that will serve fan interest in a way that, other than a theme park, it's really impossible to do," former Disney executive Kevin Mayer said.
He added: "It democratizes the theme park experience in a digital way. Not everyone can get to a theme park; it has limited capacity. Epic Games and that universe has unlimited capacity."
D'Amaro himself has already signaled some of what's to come in terms of new gaming endeavors at Disney. He recently said Disney could premiere movies in Fortnite, or allow people to book a Disney cruise from within the game.
This follows on from a report that said Disney was already planning to make further gaming deals, but those plans were disrupted by the search for a new CEO.
D'Amaro has been a longtime advocate for gaming inside Disney, having personally spearheaded the Fortnite deal. He currently runs Disney Experiences, a sprawling business unit that, among many other things, handles Disney's gaming efforts. Beyond the investment into Epic, Disney's gaming output has included numerous licensing deals for Star Wars and Marvel games.
This is a change from the past, when Disney developed games internally via its Disney Interactive Studios. That team closed in 2016 and Disney Infinity was shuttered as well, with Disney instead opting for more licensing deals.
In 2019, Iger spoke candidly about Disney's struggles making and publishing games internally, admitting, "We haven't been particularly good..."
Source
Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that gaming will be one of his "key strategic priorities" running the show at Disney, building on what the entertainment giant is already doing with its $1.5 billion deal with Fortnite maker Epic.
"He sees the digital realm--and Epic is a manifestation of that--as a very important place for fans to interact with their favorite characters, franchises, and brands in a comprehensive way that you can monetize and that will serve fan interest in a way that, other than a theme park, it's really impossible to do," former Disney executive Kevin Mayer said.
He added: "It democratizes the theme park experience in a digital way. Not everyone can get to a theme park; it has limited capacity. Epic Games and that universe has unlimited capacity."
D'Amaro himself has already signaled some of what's to come in terms of new gaming endeavors at Disney. He recently said Disney could premiere movies in Fortnite, or allow people to book a Disney cruise from within the game.
This follows on from a report that said Disney was already planning to make further gaming deals, but those plans were disrupted by the search for a new CEO.
D'Amaro has been a longtime advocate for gaming inside Disney, having personally spearheaded the Fortnite deal. He currently runs Disney Experiences, a sprawling business unit that, among many other things, handles Disney's gaming efforts. Beyond the investment into Epic, Disney's gaming output has included numerous licensing deals for Star Wars and Marvel games.
This is a change from the past, when Disney developed games internally via its Disney Interactive Studios. That team closed in 2016 and Disney Infinity was shuttered as well, with Disney instead opting for more licensing deals.
In 2019, Iger spoke candidly about Disney's struggles making and publishing games internally, admitting, "We haven't been particularly good..."
Source