Disney Infinity, Disney's answer to the overwhelmingly popular Skylanders franchise, will no longer launch when it was originally intended. Instead, Disney has delayed the launch, pushing the release date back from June to August for the sake of retailers. While the game was originally supposed to be available around the same time as Monsters University, the upcoming sequel to Monsters Inc. that is due on June 21, this shift is a strategic one that moves it into the school holidays.
While August is known to be a quiet period for video game sales, which is why physical retailers have a lot of price cuts during that time, John Pleasants – co-president of Disney Interactive – told the New York Times that this meant stores had agreed to provide the game with a lot of shelf space. The hope is obviously that bored children will wander into stores and see Disney Infinity from wall to wall, and that – as the New York Times reporter points out – “children will return to school with the Infinity action figures in their backpacks, leading to trading.”
It all seems to make sense from a practical point of view, but the shift from June to August is particularly meaningful to those with an eye on the financial side of things. This means a move from the third quarter of Disney's fiscal year to the fourth, which could trouble investors. “This will definitely impact our goal of achieving profitability for the year,” Pleasants is reported as admitting.
Were you planning on buying Disney Infinity in June? Are you disappointed at the delay? The game will now be available for PC, PS3, 360, Wii U, Wii, and 3DS on August 18.
