The Disney Infinity release date has been delayed by two months to August 18 in North America and August 20 in Europe.
However, Disney Interactive co-president John Pleasants told the New York Times that August provided a more favourable release window, with the company and its retail partners keen to launch closer to the beginning of the holiday season, which kicks off in October. “The date became an issue in terms of them asking, ‘Is there a better opportunity here?’” he said.
Pleasants also insisted the delay wasn’t motivated by development issues. “We could deliver in June if we wanted to,” he said, but added: “Will a two-month timing change help us? Sure, of course. It gives us a little more time to add bells and whistles and make sure it really sings and pops.”
Under pressure to turn a profit from Disney CEO Robert Iger, and having closed Warren Spector’s Junction Point studio and made further layoffs across the unit in January, Disney Interactive has a lot invested in Disney Infinity, an open world sandbox game featuring Disney and Pixar characters which it hopes can rival the success of Activision’s Skylanders franchise. Like Skylanders, which has generated over $1 billion in global retail sales in just 15 months, Disney Infinity will utilise near field communication technology which enables players to scan collectible figures and import virtual versions of them into the game world.
Activision's next franchise instalment, Skylanders: Swap Force, is set for release this fall, and while Pleasants downplayed comparisons between that series and Disney Infinity, he said: “We think it’s good to be first and really lean into the most important selling season of the year.” Get our first look impressions of Disney Infinity in this Disney Infinity preview.
