The summary of ‘Why Disney’s games teams are working with developers of all sizes’

00:00:00

In this part of the video, Chris String from GamesIndustry.biz introduces GI Live London 2022, highlighting the event’s lineup, including notable talks from key industry figures like PlayStation’s Shuhei Yoshida and Hero Capital’s Sir Ian Livingstone. The focus then shifts to a digital session featuring Sean Shoptaw, Senior VP of Global Games and Interactive Experiences at Disney. They discuss Disney’s current strategy of partnering with top game developers and publishers, emphasizing the benefits and successes of this approach over the past five years. Shoptaw praises his team’s passion and the high quality of their partnerships, which include major industry players such as Ubisoft, EA, and PlayStation.

00:03:00

In this segment, the speaker discusses their significant involvement in big blockbuster projects, emphasizing the collaboration between their creative team and partners to bring stories to life. They highlight the importance of in-house knowledge and close partnerships with studios, even in a licensed business model. Additionally, the speaker addresses their work with smaller indie developers, recognizing the creative talent and passion of these teams regardless of their size. They mention specific relationships with studios like Lala and Bethel, emphasizing the organic growth of these partnerships driven by mutual passion for the projects. The business development team, particularly John Drake, is credited for facilitating connections across the industry.

00:06:00

In this part of the video, the discussion centers around the significant passion that game developers bring to their projects. The speaker emphasizes how quickly projects can progress when there is a shared vision and passion, citing recent announcements of new titles developed by Dalala Studios. The conversation also highlights that both large and small teams, like those behind John Wick and Disney collaborations, possess this passion and creative excellence. The speaker mentions that they are very open to working with teams, regardless of their experience, if they can demonstrate a strong vision and passion for storytelling. The relationship dynamics with indie teams versus AAA teams are also touched upon, noting that while there might be structural differences, the core work of bringing a creative vision to life remains fundamentally the same.

00:09:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses what they look for in independent partners, emphasizing the importance of passion and creative excellence. They want partners who can successfully execute and build high-quality products, particularly valuing the ability to bring their precious stories and worlds to life. The speaker explains that the best collaboration formula is when studios approach them with passionate ideas or characters rather than the other way around. They prefer to empower studios to create original stories. Additionally, the speaker highlights successful collaborations like the “Sea of Thieves” integration with “Pirates of the Caribbean” as examples of meaningful and strategic partnerships that don’t always involve creating standalone games.

00:12:00

In this part of the video, the discussion centers around the openness and diversity of the company’s approach to video game development. The speakers emphasize their commitment to exploring various types of games, including story-driven action-adventure titles, strategy games, platform games, and unique experiences like “Sea of Thieves.” They stress the importance of working with a wide range of partners, regardless of size, to bring meaningful and original experiences to the gaming medium. The company is open to collaborating with indie creators and is not limited to certain intellectual properties (IP). They highlight that if the right partnership is found, they are willing to work with any size studio on developing games involving their vast portfolio of beloved characters and worlds.

00:15:00

In this segment, the discussion revolves around how indie developers, who often lack the publishing capabilities of major companies like Ubisoft or EA, can seek assistance. The conversation highlights that if an indie developer approaches with a game idea, the company is open to advising them, potentially connecting them with stronger publishers or partners within their portfolio to achieve a good outcome. The speaker also addresses the long-term goals for Disney in the video game industry. They express Disney’s strong passion for its current strategy, emphasizing the significant opportunities available due to the wide array of characters and worlds. They believe this is just the beginning and are committed to continuing their involvement by partnering with skilled and passionate developers and publishers globally, aiming to create more Disney games and pushing for unique, fun projects within the gaming medium.

00:18:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the diverse range of platforms and game styles their company engages with, including free-to-play, mobile, PC, and console games. They emphasize their commitment to expanding across all platforms and the importance of choosing the right partners to build on their recent successes. The speaker concludes by expressing excitement for future projects and thanking the audience.