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Disney discontinues close to 100 of its mobile games to focus on "more engaging" titles

Support for legacy titles dries up as Disney looks ahead

Disney discontinues close to 100 of its mobile games to focus on "more engaging" titles

Disney Interactive has issued a statement confirming that nearly 100 of its mobile apps - the overwhelming majority of which are games - have been retired across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

It seems that for the majority this will mean being pulled from the app stores entirely, but Disney has stated that "some of these titles may still be available for download and playable" - albeit without future updates or support.

Burying the past

Looking through the list, it's an understandable decision on Disney's part. Including apps and games based on Disney properties as far back as Toy Story 3 and TRON: Legacy, it has little to gain from keeping them there.

"Although the decision was difficult to make, this will allow us to focus on building new and more engaging games," the statement reads.

What this tells us about Disney's future plans is unclear, but perhaps it suggests a greater push towards long-term projects as opposed to the more ephemeral model of the movie tie-in.

And indeed, looking at Disney's most recent App Store releases, Disney Infinity: Toy Box 3.0 points towards this. A multi-franchise mash-up, that's a Disney game for all seasons rather than the few weeks surrounding a movie release.

And, in a world where mobile game lifespans are longer than ever, that's where Disney needs to be.

The full list of retired apps is here.


Special Projects Editor