Disney+ Looking To Incorporate Game-Like Features

One of the biggest challenges facing streaming services like Disney+ is users’ time and attention, with business leaders often saying their competition isn’t other streaming services, it’s other platforms like social media and video games.  As the streaming services look to boost engagement to keep subscribers, they’ve been experimenting with different types of content.

Netflix has been investing in its gaming division, offering a wide selection of eighty different mobile games, and it looks like Disney could be following suit.

During a recent investor call for the latest financial results, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked about the potential of Disney+ as a super app, where he revealed the potential for games to be made available within Disney+.

Obviously, there’s a huge opportunity for games. And the investment that we made and the agreement that we reached with Epic Games, while that will largely be on their platform, gives us an opportunity to integrate a number of game-like features into Disney Plus.

Currently, Disney is utilising its investment in Epic Games with a Fortnite mini-season featuring the iconic series, “The Simpsons”, and a new Disneyland-themed mini-game, while work is underway on a new Disney expansion to the game.  Disney+ subscribers who link their account with an Epic Games account also get access to special items within Fortnite. 

This won’t be the first time Disney has incorporated games into its streaming services; prior to the launch of Disney+, a platform called “DisneyLife” operated in the UK, offering music, movies, books, and games in one app.  However, it quickly dropped mobile games from the deal as Disney shifted its video game strategy to licensing its franchises rather than developing in-house games.

Netflix has had some success with incorporating mobile games in its subscription plans; however, it’s also discovered that it’s much trickier than expected, since most mobile games have a completely different monetisation strategy, often including microtransactions, which make more money than in-game ads.

Disney already has a massive library of existing mobile games featuring iconic brands, including smaller, similar games it’s used on other platforms such as DisneyNOW or Apple Arcade, in addition to decades of games on video game consoles and mobile devices.

Roger’s Take:  I’m surprised it’s taken Disney so long to say this publicly, since many years ago, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke about wanting to make Disney+ the hub to everything Disney.  The more options available, the more they help keep engagement within the app and reduce subscriber churn.  The majority of these games will likely be simple mobile titles, but as cloud technology continues to improve, we could see much more challenging titles from Disney’s library, as well as something new like the upcoming Fortnite Disney mode.

What do you think about the idea of Disney+ offering games in its subscription?  Let me know on social media!