Disney Expands Gaming Business, Hiring Blizzard and Ubisoft Veterans
By Movieguide® Contributor
Soon after buying a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, Disney is further investing in video games, bringing on Blizzard and Ubisoft veterans as executives for its gaming division.
Disney recently promoted longtime executives to higher leadership positions, placing Sean Shaptaw as the executive vice president of the gaming division. Jay Ong was promoted to lead the company’s global games licensing. Ong had previously been the head of Marvel games for over a decade.
“Under the leadership of Sean and Jay, Disney’s games business is perfectly positioned to deliver world-class storytelling in this medium,” said Disney Consumer Products President Tasia Filippatos. “We’re grateful to every member of the Disney Games team who has contributed to our success, and who will help shape the future of this industry through genre-defining entertainment.”
Disney is poaching talent from large video game studios to help expand the team and add veteran knowledge.
Ray Gresko was hired as the senior vice president of product and development, while Bjorn Tornqvist will serve as the vice president of games technology. Gresko previously worked for Blizzard Entertainment, helping develop industry-defining games like Overwatch and Diablo III, while Tornqvist comes from Ubisoft, where he worked on technology development.
The significant changes and hires signal Disney’s desire to broaden its entertainment reach and become a major player in gaming. The company has previously turned to gaming to promote upcoming projects, specifically through Fortnight, through numerous collaborations.
Disney emphasized its commitment to gaming earlier this year when it acquired a $1.5 billion stake in Fortnite’s developer Epic Games.
While Disney’s IP has been ever-present in the gaming industry, the company’s interest in video games has fluctuated through the years. In 2016, it restricted its gaming branch to focus almost exclusively on licensing within the medium. The strategy, however, has greatly changed as Disney prepares to release titles created in-house.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Disney and Epic Games announced a multiyear intimate collaboration as Disney buys a $1.5 billion equity stake with plans to deliver content in the future through Epic’s gaming platform.
“Our exciting new relationship with Epic Games will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and franchises with the hugely popular Fortnite in a transformational new games and entertainment universe,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger in a press release. “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant growth for expansion. We can’t wait for fans to experience the Disney stories and worlds they love in groundbreaking new ways.”
“Disney was one of the first companies to believe in the potential of bringing their worlds together with ours in Fortnite,” added Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder of Epic Games. “Now we’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities.”
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