Report: Disney confirms closure of Junction Point

Disney has confirmed the closure of Junction Point Studios, the Austin-based studio responsible for the Epic Mickey series. After rumors of the closure leaked via Twitter yesterday, we reached out to Disney for confirmation.

Below is the response we received today from a Disney spokesperson:

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.

Although sad news for everyone involved, I'd be hard-pressed to say this type of move wasn't expected. Disney Interactive, which acquired Junction Point in 2007, was the only division within the Walt Disney Company to operate at a loss for Q3 2012. We were all hopeful the release of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two could rescue the struggling division, but unimpressive sales figures and poor critical reception was likely the final nail in the coffin for Junction Point.

Best of luck to all affected by the recent closure of Junction Point. Hopefully, they land on their feet quickly.