Buena Vista Games Beefs Up
Acquires Climax Racing
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Buena Vista Games, one of many Disney subsidiaries, has made another step into the gaming sector by buying racing game developer Climax Racing. Climax has been responsible for numerous racing titles including the ATV and MotoGP franchises.
Publisher Buena Vista and Climax both believe that innovation is the key to continue moving forward, and with Disney backing them, it is truly possible.
"There are a lot of racing franchises already out there but no one dominates the market," said Graham Hopper, senior VP and general manager for BVG.
"We think there's room for fresh innovation in the space and in combination with our stable of properties and our brands, we think we stand a pretty good chance of being able to make some waves in the space."
Climax founder, Karl Jeffrey, adds that Disney will allow his team to have resources never available to them in the past. "Independent development can be tough and the acquisition means that the studio can move forward now in a much more strategic and well-resourced way - to really shine. Climax Racing makes great games, and now I can see them making absolutely break-out hit racing games, under the umbrella of Disney," he said.
Neither firm has released specific details on upcoming titles but both have revealed that they are looking into the idea of microtransactions.
"I don't think that anybody knows at this point, with any degree of accuracy, what it is that people really want from the next-gen. And the only way to find it out is to experiment," said Hopper.
"Nobody wants to have dumbed-down games that you have to pay extra money to be able to play and enjoy, so it's a very delicate balance that we have to manage, and it's only through experimentation that we find the right path," he added.
Publisher Buena Vista and Climax both believe that innovation is the key to continue moving forward, and with Disney backing them, it is truly possible.
"There are a lot of racing franchises already out there but no one dominates the market," said Graham Hopper, senior VP and general manager for BVG.
"We think there's room for fresh innovation in the space and in combination with our stable of properties and our brands, we think we stand a pretty good chance of being able to make some waves in the space."
Climax founder, Karl Jeffrey, adds that Disney will allow his team to have resources never available to them in the past. "Independent development can be tough and the acquisition means that the studio can move forward now in a much more strategic and well-resourced way - to really shine. Climax Racing makes great games, and now I can see them making absolutely break-out hit racing games, under the umbrella of Disney," he said.
Neither firm has released specific details on upcoming titles but both have revealed that they are looking into the idea of microtransactions.
"I don't think that anybody knows at this point, with any degree of accuracy, what it is that people really want from the next-gen. And the only way to find it out is to experiment," said Hopper.
"Nobody wants to have dumbed-down games that you have to pay extra money to be able to play and enjoy, so it's a very delicate balance that we have to manage, and it's only through experimentation that we find the right path," he added.