Why has Disney struggled financially with games, even with the "CTO" Bob Iger? I ask because it's the only product Disney makes that is software in the strict sense, and I wonder why they can't make it work.
Disney Infinity helped get its interactive unit out of the red. That makes a lot of sense. For a game that apes Skylanders in many ways, it leverages Disney's character and brand portfolio in a way that can't be copied.
Its other successes are naked clones. Tsum Tsum and Frozen Free Fall are canonical tired as far as genres go. They too use Disney properties, but in the most straightforward and obvious ways possible.
I liked Where's My Water. It developed an original character too. I think it was financially viable for Disney, but I can't find conclusive evidence that it was.
It's definitely possible to develop a financially viable original title by handing big capital to great talent. The best parts of Infinity Ward left to found Respawn (Titanfall), and independent Bungie is not doing too bad with Destiny.
The real question is, why don't tentpole video game developers want to work with Disney? Why didn't Disney scoop up publishing contracts for Titanfall or Destiny? Why can't it find the J.J. Abrams of video gaming and put 'em in charge of Star Wars the video game?
The answer has to be more complicated than, "The games are violent." Like Star Wars isn't violent.
My feeling is, it's not about being technologically savvy. Bob Iger, I'm sure, understands that what Pixar does requires a lot of software.
I think they just don't play games, and don't yet get what makes them entertaining. I will share a little anecdote with you: A Disney executive, interviewing at a large, passionately successful video game company, scoffed at the quip that he didn't play the game. He argued that people who didn't play the game had something to contribute to the development of its business. Suffice it to say, he was wrong, and they didn't hire him.
Sure they play Skylanders and Candy Crush and get how to clone them. But they just don't play Modern Warfare, League of Legends or Starcraft. So they should stop expecting to make games that have as much mindshare as these huge titles.
It's going to cost them a lot of money before they realize that their tastes are basically the same as young children and low tech people when it comes to games. It's why big game developers will partner with Activision and Microsoft, and why Disney will not get the respect it could easily earn.