Disney Interactive appoints new Marvel gaming exec

July 21, 2011 5:08PM PDT

Diablo, Hellgate developer Bill Roper named chief creative officer overseeing strategy and direction for company's comics-based games.

Last year, Bill Roper left his position as chief creative officer at Cryptic Studios, creator of unlicensed superhero online games like City of Heroes and Champions Online. Now Roper's going to be dealing with the real deal, as Disney Interactive Studios today announced his appointment as chief creative officer for the publisher's Marvel Comics-based games.

Bill Roper.

Roper's new job calls on him to "be responsible for establishing the long-term strategy and the future creative direction and vision" for Marvel games that Disney Interactive publishes. Beyond that, he will need to spot prospective partners in the development community.

Disney Interactive has not previously published Marvel-based games. However, it was strongly hinted after Disney acquired the comics publisher for $4 billion in 2009 that once Marvel's existing publishing deals expired, it would look to be involved in the gaming world more directly.

Roper joined Cryptic in November 2008, following the messy dissolution of his startup development outfit Flagship Studios. Flagship's first and only project, the ambitious first-person shooter/role-playing massively multiplayer online game Hellgate: London, launched with a critically positive reception in 2007. However, due to myriad problems and flagging player support, the studio largely shut down in July 2008.

As for his time at Cryptic, Roper oversaw the releases of Champions Online and Star Trek Online, which launched in quick succession in September 2009 and February 2010, respectively. Though Champions Online received favorable review scores, Star Trek Online was greeted quite coolly by critics.

By Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.

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15 comments

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X-RS

Just don't try and make a fighter. Leave that to Capcom.

shincorno

Rocksteady are the best in super heroes genre. Only see what they did in arkham asylum and what are they doing on arkham city. they are genius. I will like to see a x-men, spiderman or superman game by them.

killer690

Wait, Disney owns Marvel now? Oh man that's bleeped up.

vadicta

So this means that I can buy superhero games without worrying about supporting Activision, right?

smoman5000

This could be good...or horribly bad. Xmen:destiny looks pretty good but the spiderman games have had the same combat style since the early ps2 days...we need refreshing combat not picture-in-picture gimmicks.

Sirbobislost

Well first thing this guy needs to do is poke Disney and square to get kingdom hearts3 made with added marvel goodness

toddx77

Edios needs to make Marvel games, that what this guy needs to try and get done. I would love a Spider-man game like Arkham Asylum.

oflow

uh oh the bill roper kiss of death hes like the madden curse

Taix34

Am i the only one Who wants a X-men legends 3?

chancellor28

Marvel is gonna get Flagshipped, this is the worst decision they could have made this guy is Death to any new IPs he is in charge of.

mrzero1982pt2

i said in 2009 that disney was going to put everything marvel under their umbrella, didnt i? so watch, in the next few years, they will buy their licenses back from activision, and charge an INSANE penny for them, so we can say that this may be the last spider man and x-men games from activision(which would stop them from annualizing those... i wish someone would do that to call of duty!) and marvel vs capcom 4? ha, we would have to see that on the playstation 10 or something because disney isnt going to let that slide unless they have "disney interactive" slapped on the cover.

Ranma_X_basic

I want news on the Marvel Universe MMO that's being worked on. Oh! and another Ultimate Alliance game would be nice.

Zero5000X

Open world Spider-Man 2099 or Noir game. I don't like what Activision's been doing lately with multiple Spider-Men in on game.

-DirtySanchez-

i want a ultimate alliance 3, but with more characters and back to a more RPG feel

jcopp72

I just hope that what ever Marvel games that disney puts out are not cartoony and not like super hero squad

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