Characters from Disney and Pixar’s film franchises will be coming to a new mobile game, under a deal struck with games developer and publisher Glu Mobile.
Glu Mobile announced a pact with Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media on the development of the game. Currently in early stages of development, the new title is the first to be led by Mike Olsen, who joined Glu as SVP and creative leader a year ago. Olsen previously spent more than 20 years at Electronic Arts, most recently leading “Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.”
Glu, founded in 2001, is best known for the popular “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” game. Its other titles include “Restaurant DASH: Gordon Ramsay” in association with the celebrity chef; “Cooking DASH”; “Covet Fashion”; “Deer Hunter”; “Design Home”; and “MLB Tap Sports Baseball.” The company also has a deal to develop a mobile app with Taylor Swift.
On the video-game front, Disney has shifted solely to a licensing model. In 2016, it shut down its Infinity game and “toys-to-life” division.
“Disney is an iconic and globally recognized brand that transcends many demographics,” Nick Earl, Glu’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “I am thrilled to announce that Glu will be working with Disney and look forward to pairing nostalgic and fresh Disney and Pixar content with Glu’s creative approach to game development.”
According to Olsen, he’s built a development team over the past year “from the ground up” over the past year. The team and I are thrilled to be working alongside Disney to deliver a truly original mobile game we know players will love.”
The upcoming Disney/Pixar free-to-play mobile title from Glu will be available worldwide on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Glu didn’t disclose an expected release window.
Glu Mobile is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2017 results after market close Thursday.
