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Disney hauls off Wideload, hires Halo cocreator Seropian

Media giant scoops up brains behind Stubbs the Zombie to be VP of creative at Disney Interactive Studios; Hail to the Chimp shop developing unannounced "family console game."

Two weeks after it stunned the world by buying Marvel for around $4 billion, the Walt Disney Company has made a far smaller--and game-industry specific--purchase. Today, the media giant's Disney Interactive Studios group announced it has bought Wideload Games, developer of Hail to the Chimp and Stubbs the Zombie, for an undisclosed sum.

The latest piece of the Disney empire.

The latest piece of the Disney empire.

The deal will see Wideload remain in Chicago--for the most part, anyway. Its founder, Halo cocreator Alex Seropian, will relocate to California, where he will oversee creative development of all Disney Interactive Studios projects as vice president of creative. There, he will report to DIS vice president of global product development Jean-Marcel Nicolai.

Wideload Games president Tom Kang will replace Seropian at the studio, which currently has 25 full-time employees. Those staffers are currently hard at work on an unannounced "family console game" for a 2010 release, according to Disney.

The Disney buyout marks the latest evolution of Wideload, which was founded in 2004 by Seropian and several ex-Bungie Studios developers. Two years after the 2005 release of Stubbs the Zombie, the company announced Wideload Shorts, a division of the company dedicated specifically to downloadable games for consoles, PCs, and handheld platforms. That program will continue under Disney's supervision.

The Wideload buyout marks the latest acquisition of an independent game developer by Disney. In 2005, it purchased Turok developer Propaganda Games. The following year, it picked up Climax Racing (Renamed Black Rock Studio), developer of Pure and the forthcoming Split/Second. In 2007, it bought Junction Point Studios, home of Deus Ex cocreator Warren Spector--who is rumored to be working on a dark action-adventure featuring Mickey Mouse.

35 Comments

  • Newager

    Posted Sep 10, 2009 11:07 pm GMT

    disney buys the entire world guys, and we'll all be living in a theme park disney land style! eating cotton floss candy all day and smoking cigars... woops thats pinochio XD terrible decision btw, i have a bad feelin abt this.

  • Indiscrimi

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 6:15 pm GMT

    Sorry Disney, we already have the Wii. We don't need another "family" console.

  • Raid3nsnake

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 12:47 pm GMT

    maybe this dark action game with micky is the new kingdom hearts game?

  • badman11226

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 12:17 pm GMT

    World Domination. Disney "Join Us or i get mickey mouse to kick ur.." "Sir we cant use the A word."
    "Oh yeah Politcal Correctness i mean i get mickey mouse to give you timeouts muuuuhhhhhahahahahahaaaa."

  • melty3219

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 10:59 am GMT

    disney can afford to buy this becuase stupid teens buy thier hanna montanna and jonas brothers albums

  • TehEliteElite

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 9:08 am GMT

    Damn, Disney's taking over the world!

  • Tanares

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:56 am GMT

    Whats happening is that Disney board of directors finally saw that interactive entertainment is the future of media. This buying frenzy is the result of that vision.

  • optimal

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:16 am GMT

    Disney buying EA.. Does anyone else sense a paradox in that, LOL.

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:14 am GMT

    Disney isn't good at making games, even those aimed for kids... And don't buy Marvel, Disney. You'll only ruin it!

  • rob_dAmAgE

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 7:41 am GMT

    the final nail in the stubbs coffin. now i'll never get a sequel to one of the most fun games i've ever played....

  • Excedra

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:48 am GMT

    If Disney buys either rockstar, or ea, ill lock myself in my room and scream my heart out.

  • l0wF4t

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:34 am GMT

    they did it again! T_T

  • WTFitsPauL

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 4:02 am GMT

    Disney + Halo = Disney Taking Over Earth ( wait? thats happening right now!!)

  • Narutofan30

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 3:28 am GMT

    Disney can buy anything!

  • badiie05

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:35 am GMT

    HUH?!?! OMG Disney is really desperate in spending
    how embarrasing

  • diablo_del_bano

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:33 am GMT

    Next they'll be going after Square Enix, and then the world will implode. Or at least perhaps the game industry.

  • jedkonyat

    Posted Sep 9, 2009 2:03 am GMT

    what if disney buys PLAYBOY...oh the humanity....

  • badtaker

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 11:34 pm GMT

    Please think of hardcore gamers.

  • bredeyabo

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 11:11 pm GMT

    i hope nintendo will stop with its family crap like what they did to the wii.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 10:59 pm GMT

    family console game with the dude who developed Stubbs the Zombie?
    there is NOTHING that could go wrong here. 'ends sarcasm'

  • FullmetalFreak7

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 8:03 pm GMT

    I think Disney will one day buy the world.

  • orb_03_2006

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 7:33 pm GMT

    this is kinda scary... wonder what they're planning...

  • Mister__Awesome

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 6:51 pm GMT

    Kingdom Hearts with Marvel characters. One can only dream lol. I suspect a Mario type game with Mickey mouse. 3D RPG.

  • guitardude1243

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 6:28 pm GMT

    Disney is a scheming and a plotting, wonder what's coming.

  • GeigerdolylWodd

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 6:17 pm GMT

    So how long before we get a Marvel vs Disney tournament fighter?



    I can see it now Goofy throwing sonic yuck-chuckles at the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk takes up a generator, he throws it and at the same time it hits Goofy he utters "Hulk SMASH!" It knocks Goofy unconscious with stars circling his head.



    But then TinkerBell intercepts an incoming Hulk attack with her magic wand. Now Hulk sees stars instead and says "look at the galaxy" Meanwhile Goofy throws another sonic chuckle at him...



    In particular I think a matchup betwixt Donald Duck and The incredible Hulk would be interesting. I mean they both are irascible and the amount o destruction one does versus the other would be interesting.

  • shaggydellic

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 6:05 pm GMT

    A "dark action-adventure featuring Mickey Mouse"? I just don't see how that's possible.

  • gunner967

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 6:00 pm GMT

    Disney taking over Halo. Now that's a scary thought.

  • brian_13un

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 5:23 pm GMT

    Hope it'll be good

  • Blargsman

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 5:00 pm GMT

    Hmm... odd choice of developer to purchase. I'll have to see what happens.

  • spawnassasin

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:59 pm GMT

    do i smell a marvel zombie gaming coming soon

  • UnRelentingAlly

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:53 pm GMT

    If disney gets some people with some exp. under their belt they can start puttin out good games and heck maybe even put that marvel license to good use.

  • daniel_droid

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:43 pm GMT

    for a second i thought disney bought rights to halo , man that would be crazy wow imagin master chiefs face to be mickey mouse good god

  • king_chapeton15

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:38 pm GMT

    watch out! disneys going for the kill

  • taylormadederek

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:37 pm GMT

    Wideload was a HUGE disapointment to me. I thought that they might actually come out with something amazing. Oh well, I now expect great things from the spin offs of Ensemble.

  • Sling_Master

    Posted Sep 8, 2009 4:33 pm GMT

    God, that's lame. Disney buying out gaming companies?

    Well, it'll be interesting to see where they take it from here. Who knows, it might even be for the better.

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