Eric Johnson

Recent Posts by Eric Johnson

Disney Launches Videogame About Movie About Videogames

In advance of the movie’s nationwide release tomorrow, Disney has launched an iOS and Android game based on its new film “Wreck-It Ralph.”

The movie’s title character, an early-1980s arcade game villain, leaves his own story line to seek respect in other games. In turn, the mobile app lets players hop among multiple games inspired by the movie: Fix-It Felix Jr., the Donkey Kong-esque arcade game; Hero’s Duty, a top-down sci-fi shoot ’em up; and Sweet Climber, a Doodle Jump-like game that asks players to tilt their iPhones to help Ralph climb a tree.

Disney also plans to add new games from the movie as downloadable updates, starting with an old-school racing game, Turbo Time.

At a recent press event in San Francisco, Disney reps could not say yet whether Sugar Rush — the Mario Kart-esque 3-D racing game where much of “Wreck-It Ralph” takes place — would be one of the future downloads.

The mobile game underscores how, even as “Wreck-It Ralph” pays homage to the past 30 years of videogames, Disney Interactive has become a game-publishing power in its own right. With hits like Where’s My Water under its (mouse-eared) hat, it’ll be interesting to see what the studio does with LucasArts, the game-development subsidiary of Lucasfilm that makes an estimated $172 million per year in revenue.

Latest Video

View all videos »

Search »

There was a worry before I started this that I was going to burn every bridge I had. But I realize now that there are some bridges that are worth burning.

— Valleywag editor Sam Biddle