Disney and PerBlue, a Madison, WI-based mobile games studio, said they plan to launch a new role-playing game later this year that features characters from numerous hit Disney films.
According to a news release, the game, “Disney Heroes: Battle Mode,” became available for pre-registration on the Google Play store on Monday. There will be a version of the game for iPhones and iPads, in addition to the version for mobile devices powered by Google’s Android operating system, PerBlue and Disney (NYSE: [[ticker:DIS]]) said.
The game will bring together 30-plus characters from movies made by Disney and its subsidiary Pixar Animation Studios. Players must lead the characters through a “corrupted digital world” to save it from an evil virus, Disney and PerBlue said. The relevant film franchises include “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Toy Story,” “Wreck-it Ralph,” and “Zootopia,” the companies said.
“We’re excited to be working with some of the most recognizable characters and brands in the world and to bring them together in the new universe we’ve created,” Justin Beck, co-founder and CEO of PerBlue, said in the release.
When “Disney Heroes” officially launches, it will be free to download. According to a preview of the game in Apple’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) App Store, users will be able to spend money to unlock items and gameplay features that aren’t available by default. The preview page lists items that will be available for purchase, which range in price from $3.99 for “30 Days of Diamonds” to $139.99 for a “Special Wagon of Diamonds.”
PerBlue chief operating officer Forrest Woolworth declined to say whether revenue from purchases made within “Disney Heroes” will go exclusively to Disney or PerBlue, or be divided between them under a revenue-sharing agreement.
The companies indicated to Google that users will see advertisements when they’re loading or playing the game. Woolworth declined to comment on how his company and Disney plan to divide up money they make through ad sales.
Other games developed by PerBlue that are currently available for download include “Portal Quest” and “Greed for Glory: War Strategy.”
In late 2016, the company sold its game “DragonSoul” to San Francisco-based GREE International for about $28 million in cash.
