Confirming recent rumors, Disney Interactive Studios has officially announced that they have closed Warren Spector’s Junction Point studio, the developer behind Disney Epic Mickey and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
A Disney representative confirmed the closing of Junction Point to Polygon, saying:
“It was with much sadness that we informed our teams today of changes to our Games organization, which include the closure of Junction Point Studios. These changes are part of our ongoing effort to address the fast-evolving gaming platforms and marketplace and to align resources against our key priorities. We’re extremely grateful to Warren Spector and the Junction Point team for their creative contributions to Disney with Disney Epic Mickey and Disney Epic Mickey 2.”
Located in Austin, Texas, Junction Point was originally established in 2004 by Warren Spector and Art Min. The Walt Disney Company acquired the developer in 2007, and at the time of its closing the studio is reported to have employed as many as 160 people.
Under the banner of Disney Interactive Studios, Junction Point released the 2010 Wii title Disney Epic Mickey and its 2012 multiplatform sequel, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. While the original game fared relatively well with critics and gamers, Epic Mickey 2 was not as well received and was reported to have sold a mere 270,000 copies in North America as of the end of 2012.
[Update] NPD has announced that Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two sold 529,000 units in North America during the November and December 2012 period. The 3DS title Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion sold 695,000 units during the same time period. Source: JoystiqJunction Point employees — most of whom are reported to have been on paid leave since completing work on Epic Mickey 2 — were informed of the decision to shut down the studio during a meeting earlier today. Disney has also confirmed that Warren Spector has “left” Disney Interactive Studios. As of the time of publication, Spector has not commented on today’s events or disclosed his future plans.
We will update this article with additional information as this story develops and more details about the closure of Junction Point are announced.