Disney Snap! Why hasn’t it happened!?
I don’t own the rights to every Disney franchise ever made so I’m throwing this one out as a freebie. Why the hell hasn’t Buena Vista Games Disney Interactive Studios made a boatload of cash and industry credibility by releasing a dozen Disney-fied versions of Pokemon Snap?
I was just thinking about Sea Life Safari — the underwater anthropomorphic animal photo game on Xbox Live Arcade — and how easily it could’ve been Finding Nemo Snap (Pssst! Hey Disney, if you need some extra cash you can probably sue the makers of Sea Life Safari for infringement). Then it could just as easily be converted into an Afrika Lite Lion King Snap, but why stop there?
Imagine a 3D, cel-shaded Snow White with a combo bonus for getting all seven dwarves in one run or the snap-frenzy that could be Andy’s room from Toy Story. At a marginal price with a few hours of colorful gameplay they could whip out a new downloadable title every time a Disney movie premieres (and cut the price when it premieres on DVD).
It’s really a win-win deal. Disney gets to pad out their release schedule and tie into practically every movie they’ve ever made. Microsoft, Sony, and even Nintendo could have a stream of highly recognizable properties populating their online catalog every few months, fanning the flames of the kindling fire that is digital distribution. Wow, what an image.