Epic Mickey developer Junction Point shuts down
Disney Interactive shutters Warren Spector's studio
Junction Point Studios, the developer of Disney Epic Mickey and its sequel, has shut down. Disney released a statement to Kotaku confirming that the Austin, Texas developer led by System Shock and Deus Ex creator Warren Spector has been shuttered:
"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."
Much of those efforts are likely bringing the company in line with the ambitious cross-franchise Disney Infinity toy and game platform.
Rumors began circulating yesterday of the studio's closure, which appears to have employed more than 40 people judging by group photos on its website. The studio was formed in late 2004 and acquired by Disney Interactive Studios in 2007.
UPDATE: Information from Disney and the NPD Group show Disney Epic Mickey 2 sold 529,000 copies in November and December of 2012, Joystiq reports.
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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.