WebProNews » Disney http://www.webpronews.com Breaking News in Tech, Search, Social, & Business Thu, 23 May 2013 23:11:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Disney Uses Face Scanners And 3D Printers To Turn Guests Into Stormtroopers http://www.webpronews.com/disney-uses-face-scanners-and-3d-printers-to-turn-guests-into-stormtroopers-2013-05 http://www.webpronews.com/disney-uses-face-scanners-and-3d-printers-to-turn-guests-into-stormtroopers-2013-05#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 15:12:22 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=229545 I would never want to be a Stormtrooper. They seem to die far too much for my liking. Now, I wouldn’t mind having my face put onto a custom Stormtrooper figurine. If you feel the same way, you might want to hit up Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.

Disney announced that it’s bringing back its popular attraction from last year that scans a person’s face to put onto a custom Star Wars themed mini-figurine. Visitors will be able to have their face put onto either a Stormtrooper or a person frozen in carbonite this year.

Those who visit Disney Hollywood Studios can hit up the Darth Mall (get it?) and have their face scanned by the world’s highest-resolution, single-shot 3D face scanner. The process takes about 10 minutes, and then Disney ships the image off to its 3D printing facility to have a custom figurine created. The figurine is shipped to your home, and should arrive in seven to eight weeks.

Here’s a video showing the process used last year to create custom carbonite figurines. A similar process will be used for this year’s Stormtrooper figurines:

It costs $99.95 to have your face scanned onto a Stormtrooper or frozen carbonite victim. The opportunity to have your face scanned will only be offered during Star Wars Weekends starting on May 17 and taking place on every weekend after until June 9. As such, demand will be great and you will have to make an appointment.

Still, it’s a small price to pay to have yourself immortalized as one the galaxy’s most incompetent soldiers.

[h/t: VentureBeat]

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/disney-uses-face-scanners-and-3d-printers-to-turn-guests-into-stormtroopers-2013-05/feed 0 Star Wars Deal Hands Video Game Rights Over To EA http://www.webpronews.com/star-wars-deal-hands-video-game-rights-over-to-ea-2013-05 http://www.webpronews.com/star-wars-deal-hands-video-game-rights-over-to-ea-2013-05#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 14:15:34 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=228639 Star Wars is a pretty big deal. The video games based on the classic franchise is an even bigger deal. Some of the best video games ever made have come from the franchise, and now Disney has signed a deal to put Star Wars in the hands of EA.

As per the terms of the deal, all of the core titles in the Star Wars universe will be made and published by EA. The publisher said that it has three of its top development houses – DICE, Bioware and Visceral – all working on Star Wars games now. There have been no specific announcements, but people are already speculating what we might see from these developers.

Gamers seem to be especially excited at the prospect of a DICE-developed Star Wars game. DICE is best known as the developers of the excellent Battlefield franchise, and some see their involvement as a sign that Star Wars: Battlefront III could soon be a reality.

Making a new Battlefront game wouldn’t actually be all that difficult as Free Radical was working on a new entry in the series before they went bankrupt and became Crytek UK. Disney probably still owns the assets created by Free Radical and DICE could use those assets as a jumping off point for its own Battlefront game. To get a taste of what Battlefront III may look like, here’s some leaked alpha footage courtesy of Reddit:

BF3 alphaNov from Blue_Monkey on Vimeo.

As for Bioware, its Star Wars games could go anywhere. Some are hoping that Bioware will make a new Knights of the Old Republic game, but others feel that the studio may make a Star Wars game more in line with its recent Mass Effect series. Either way, fans are pretty happy that Star Wars will be going back to the main Bioware studio after many felt that Bioware Austin botched The Old Republic MMO.

Visceral is the wild card of the bunch as the studio is most well known for the Dead Space franchise. It’s hard to imagine that the studio would make a horror-themed Star Wars game, let alone an M-rated Star Wars game. The studio does have some experience in making action games, however, so it’s possible that we could get a third person action game in the vein of the classic Jedi Knight series.

With all this speculation, fans are understandably torn over whether EA was a good choice to sign a deal with. The reactions on Twitter say just as much:

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/star-wars-deal-hands-video-game-rights-over-to-ea-2013-05/feed 2 EA Signs Exclusivity Deal With Disney To Make Star Wars Games http://www.webpronews.com/ea-signs-exclusivity-deal-with-disney-to-make-star-wars-games-2013-05 http://www.webpronews.com/ea-signs-exclusivity-deal-with-disney-to-make-star-wars-games-2013-05#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 20:48:27 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=228574 We reported early last month that Disney shut down LucasArts and canceled all the games that the developer was working on. At the time, it was suggested that Disney would farm out future Star Wars games to outside publishers and developers. As it turns out, those Star Wars games will be going through only one publisher.

EA announced today that it has signed an exclusive deal with Disney to be the sole publisher of Star Wars games for the foreseeable future. The exclusivity deal only covers games targeting a core gamer audience with Disney’s own mobile division overseeing all casual and mobile titles.

“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” said EA Labels president Frank Gibeau in a statement. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”

The three above mentioned studios should make Star Wars fans giddy with glee. All three are respected developers with a proven track record so any Star Wars games out of them should be good. DICE may even finally finish Battlefront III – a game many have been requesting for years now.

As for BioWare, a Star Wars game made by the core team could potentially be exciting as the studio also made Knights of the Old Republic – a title many consider to be the best Star Wars game ever made. Some may be hesitant of such a title, however, especially after BioWare’s The Old Republic failed to live up to the hype. The MMO was made by BioWare Austin, though, so some may be willing to give the main BioWare studio a chance, especially if its Star Wars game is similar to its recent Mass Effect trilogy.

[h/t: Kotaku]

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/ea-signs-exclusivity-deal-with-disney-to-make-star-wars-games-2013-05/feed 3 Disney Pulls Out Of “High Risk” Countries http://www.webpronews.com/disney-pulls-out-of-high-risk-countries-2013-05 http://www.webpronews.com/disney-pulls-out-of-high-risk-countries-2013-05#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 13:47:38 +0000 Amanda Crum http://www.webpronews.com/?p=228161 Disney has given the order to cease production of their licensed items in what they call “high risk” countries; namely, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Venezuela, Belarus and Pakistan. Bangladesh is the first to go, with the latter four losing factories by next spring.

The company’s decision comes at a time when horrific factory accidents are on the rise; last November a fire at Tazreen Fashions Factory in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, left 112 people dead, and another fire in Pakistan killed 262 garment workers just two months before. With the news of last week’s factory collapse that killed more than 400, Disney made the decision in order to back health and safety conditions.

“After much thought and discussion we felt this was the most responsible way to manage the challenges associated with our supply chain,” said Bob Chapek, president of Disney Consumer Products.

Although the news won’t be taken lightly by those who are in favor of big companies sourcing from countries where the jobs are desperately needed, Disney reps say they aren’t averse to working with Bangladesh in the future; however, they will only be working with factories which are in a partnership with the Better Work program. Run by the International Labor Organization, it ensures health and safety conditions for factory workers.

Image: Disney.com

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/disney-pulls-out-of-high-risk-countries-2013-05/feed 1 Character Customization Coming To Star Wars: The Old Republic http://www.webpronews.com/character-customization-coming-to-star-wars-the-old-republic-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/character-customization-coming-to-star-wars-the-old-republic-2013-04#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:51:09 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=227073 ]]> Star Wars: The Old Republic was the subject of countless jokes and TORtantic memes last year after the game started to bleed subscribers. The MMO went free-to-play less than a year after launch, and now EA has to retain players while attracting new players to the game.

In April, the team at BioWare Austin added a number of features and items to the game. Some were microtransactions meant to give players more options in customization, but the real treat will be coming next month in the form of new character customization options. Players will soon be able to change their physical appearance and even their race.

The guys at BioWare are not in an enviable position right now. They have to keep EA and the new overlords at Disney happy. Both companies are currently in the process of killing off studios and games. “>The Old Republic may be next on the chopping block if it doesn’t pick up some steam.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/character-customization-coming-to-star-wars-the-old-republic-2013-04/feed 0 Google Taps Donald And Daisy Duck For Cybersafety Education http://www.webpronews.com/google-taps-donald-and-daisy-duck-for-cybersafety-education-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/google-taps-donald-and-daisy-duck-for-cybersafety-education-2013-04#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:33:52 +0000 Chris Crum http://www.webpronews.com/?p=226445 Google teamed up with industry associations and public and private partners, including Disney, apparently, to produce 300,000 copies of a special edition of Donald Duck magazine in Norway.

The issue focuses on cybersafety, and features Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, among other familiar Disney duck faces.

Google ducks

Google ducks

Google ducks

“Kids growing up in this digital age use the Internet for pretty much everything; entertainment, communication, education and when they get that far; new technologies will play an important role in their work,” says Martin Ruby for Google Public Policy, Copenhagen. “Never has a generation needed digital guidance as the one growing up now. And we were thinking: who would be a better digital guide for kids than Donald Duck?”

“In the book, Donald gets himself into trouble,” explains Ruby. “He is guarding his uncle’s fortune with the help of a gigantic robot but trying as always to charm Daisy Duck – this time on the Internet. An unsuspecting Donald is lured into downloading a virus and giving away his password to Magica de Spell on ‘Duckbook’. No surprise: she takes control of the robot and the fortune.

Good thing it’s realistically practical, acknowledging that far more ducks are using Duckbook than Duck+.

Ruby notes that it all ends well, and Donald gets a prize for his digital skills.

You can actually peruse the issue here (pdf).

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/google-taps-donald-and-daisy-duck-for-cybersafety-education-2013-04/feed 0 Mickey Mouse Returns To The Castle Of Illusion This Summer http://www.webpronews.com/mickey-mouse-returns-to-the-castle-of-illusion-this-spring-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/mickey-mouse-returns-to-the-castle-of-illusion-this-spring-2013-04#comments Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:46:49 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=225063 Disney and Capcom made a lot of people happy at PAX East when they announced an HD remake of the NES classic Ducktales. Now Disney is reviving another classic platformer of ages past.

Sega and Disney announced today that they’re remaking Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Unlike Ducktales, which is getting a hand-drawn 2D remake, Castle of Illusion will get a full 3D makeover as it moves to a 2.5D platformer.

For those too young to remember early Disney games, Castle of Illusion was one of the very best Disney platformers of the early 90s. It was released exclusively on the Sega Genesis and is still fondly remembered to this day as one of the best, if not the best, Mickey Mouse game ever released. In fact, the only good parts of Disney’s Epic Mickey were the 2D platforming sections that were reminiscent of Castle of Illusion.

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse will release this summer on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/mickey-mouse-returns-to-the-castle-of-illusion-this-spring-2013-04/feed 0 Space Mountain Closed Over Safety Concerns http://www.webpronews.com/space-mountain-closed-over-safety-concerns-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/space-mountain-closed-over-safety-concerns-2013-04#comments Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:59:19 +0000 Sean Patterson http://www.webpronews.com/?p=225004 Space Mountain is one of the most well-known attractions in the world, and is almost certainly the most famous in-the-dark roller coaster ever built. However, fans of the attraction will not be able to ride the Disneyland California version of the coaster in the near future as Space Mountain has been shut down over safety concerns.

On Friday, April 12, Disneyland was issued safety citations by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The description of the citations states that a contractor was injured while performing maintenance on the exterior of Space Mountain. While investigating the incident, the department found that Disneyland had not corrected “known fall hazards” on the outside of the Space Mountain building after a Fall Protection Assessment Report in 2006.

Though the safety concerns for Space Mountain do not relate to the ride itself or did not endager theme park attendees, other rides at Disneyland have also been shut down. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Soarin’ Over California were both shut down over the weekend, though the Matterhorn Bobsleds reopened on Sunday. A spokesperson for Disneyland told the Times that the closures were voluntary and that the park is “reviewing certain protocols.” An estimate for when Soarin’ and Space Mountain might re-open has not been announced.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/space-mountain-closed-over-safety-concerns-2013-04/feed 1 Disney Layoffs to Expand to Studios, Consumer Products http://www.webpronews.com/disney-layoffs-to-expand-to-studios-consumer-products-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/disney-layoffs-to-expand-to-studios-consumer-products-2013-04#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:23:38 +0000 Sean Patterson http://www.webpronews.com/?p=223923 Earlier this week, The Walt Disney Company announced that it has closed down the LucasArts games studio and laid off a large number of employees. While layoffs and studio closings in the games industry have not been rare over the past year, the closure of LucasArts came as a shock to many gamers who remember classic games such as Maniac Mansion, The Secret of Monkey Island, and a plethora of Star Wars Games. Today it has become clear that Disney is not limiting its layoffs to its newly-acquired LucasFilm properties.

According to a Reuters report, Disney will be expanding its layoffs to its studio and consumer products divisions. According to Reuters’ unnamed “two people with knowledge of the matter,” the layoffs will begin within two weeks and will primarily affect marketing and home video units, though the “animation wing” will also be affected.

It is unclear whether Pixar Animation Studios will be affected by the layoffs. Walt Disney Studios just announced this week that Pixar is creating a sequel to Finding Nemo due out in 2015, titled Finding Dory.

Reuters’ sources stated that Disney began conducting an internal review last year to identify jobs that have become superfluous due to technological improvements or recent acquisitions.

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/disney-layoffs-to-expand-to-studios-consumer-products-2013-04/feed 1 Disney Shuts Down LucasArts, Cancels All Current Projects http://www.webpronews.com/disney-shuts-down-lucasarts-cancels-all-current-projects-2013-04 http://www.webpronews.com/disney-shuts-down-lucasarts-cancels-all-current-projects-2013-04#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:49:39 +0000 Zach Walton http://www.webpronews.com/?p=223637 LucasArts, the game publisher and developer subsidiary of LucasFilm, was shut down today by its new overlords at Disney. The brand will remain as the company will look to licensing its crop of franchises out to other developers, but the development staff has been let go. Projects currently being worked on at the studio, like Star Wars 1313, have also been canceled.

Game Informer received the following statement regarding the closure of the development studio:

“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”

Unfortunately, the news doesn’t come as too surprising as some thought Disney would at least downsize the studio when the company bought LucasFilm last year. At the time, Disney said it would be moving more towards a licensing model, and today’s news confirms that reality.

As for the games LucasArts was working on, Polygon reports that Star Wars 1313 is no longer being worked on at the studio. The game could be licensed to an outside developer for completion, but an inside source speaking to Kotaku says that’s unlikely.

Even if Star Wars 1313 never sees the light of day, it’s not the end of Star Wars video games. Disney will undoubtedly have game tie-ins available alongside the release of the next film that’s due in 2015. Under a licensing model, we’re also likely to see more original projects that expand the universe, much like Knights of the Old Republic and Republic Commando did under LucasArts.

Aside from Star Wars games, gamers are also rightly concerned about LucasArts’ stable of adventure games, like Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion. The developer dabbled in its roots a few years ago with remakes of the first two Monkey Island games, but nothing has been done with its other properties. Some are hoping that Disney will license out these properties to other developers for new entries.

As we say our goodbyes and wish all the talented people at LucasArts the best; let’s look back on what made LucasArts so unique – it’s awesome logo:

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