Disney Interactive Studios has announced Disney Universe, a forthcoming action-adventure multiplayer game that, for the first time, will present a mashup of many of Disney’s best-known properties, spanning from animated Disney and Disney/Pixar characters to live action franchises (no doubt including Pirates of the Caribbean). Players will be able to “suit up” as more than 40 Disney characters and run off on multiplayer adventures. And Disney wants to make Disney Universe span the gaming universe: the company says the title will be available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, as well as Windows and Mac platforms.
“Disney Universe is a vast treasure chest of Disney properties with memorable characters, places, and experiences that gamers, as well as Disney fans will enjoy,” said Disney Interactive’s senior VP of publishing Adam Sussman, in a statement. “The fast-paced, frenetic gameplay combined with wacky humor and hilarious situations make Disney Universe the perfect game to play with family and friends.”
Players will be able to suit up as everyone from Tron, Stitch, Mike (from Monsters, Inc.), and Alice from Alice in Wonderland to explore different world based on Disney and Disney/Pixar films. Characters will have specific tools and capabilities based on their costumes, and those tools will grow and change as the players advance through the game. Characters will be able to participate in games and missions that follow along lines laid out in Disney films. The games will feature puzzles and slapstick humor intended to appeal to gamers of all ages, and players will be able to team up with up to three other players for multiplayer mayhem.
Disney says Disney Universe will launch in fall 2011 (just in time for the end-of-year holiday buying season), and the company will follow up the came with post-launch content that will be available for download and purchase.
Although Disney’s recent Epic Mickey integrated many elements from the history of Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse, Disney Universe will be the first time the company has opted for a complete mixup, enabling its television-content (like Lilo & Stitch) to cross over with its Pixar properties to mix up with classic Disney animated films and tie in with live action titles.
