 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | November 2004; 21 years ago (2004-11) |
| Founder | Warren Spector |
| Defunct | 29 January 2013; 13 years ago (2013-01-29) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | Library: Disney Interactive |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
Key people | Warren Spector[1] Art Min |
| Products | Epic Mickey Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two |
Number of employees | 160[2] (2012) |
| Parent | Disney Interactive Studios |
| Website | junctionpoint |
Junction Point Studios (JPS) was an Americanvideo game developer based inAustin, Texas founded byDeus Ex creator,Warren Spector, in 2004.[3]Disney Interactive Studios acquired Junction Point Studios in July 2007[1] to develop a property based onOswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character created byWalt Disney but owned byUniversal Studios until the character was acquired byThe Walt Disney Company from Universal in 2006.[4] The studio was closed in 2013.[5]
The studio was established in November 2004 byWarren Spector[6][1] and Art Min.[7] The new studio is based around several former employees ofIon Storm, where Spector[8] and Min previously worked.[9]
From inception up until their acquisition byDisney Interactive Studios, Junction Point was working on aSource Engine based game that was to be distributed onValve'sSteam distribution network.[7] This was later revealed to be a new game in Valve'sHalf-Life series which was cancelled when Junction Point was acquired.[10]
Junction Point developedEpic Mickey, aWii game which was released on November 25, 2010 in Europe and on November 30 in North America. The game is aboutMickey Mouse's adventure in Wasteland, a world where forgotten characters likeOswald the Lucky Rabbit live. Junction Point has indicated that its game will be a "combination of action and roleplaying, traditional narrative and player choice", and will use Emergent Game Technologies'Gamebryo engine. The game has been developed for theWii console.[citation needed]
On March 21, 2012, Warren Spector announced that a sequel,Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, was in development for Wii andWii U.[11]
On January 29, 2013,Disney Interactive Studios confirmed the closure of the studio.[12]
Before its closure, Junction Point was working on a video game calledProject Goliath.[13]
In March 2007, Spector explained the name in an interview:
When I was withLooking Glass, the last thing I worked on with them on was a concept that I came up with along withDoug Church and some other guys. It was a very different approach tomultiplayer online games called Junction Point. I loved the name and concept. I'm not revealing anything too dramatic since we're not doing the game, though I'd love to some day, but the name spoke to me more as a name for a studio than a name for a game. ... It's also nice that it abbreviates to JPS, which rolls off the tongue.[8]
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled | Untitled Half-Life 2 episode | Windows |
| Sleeping Giants[14] | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2010 | Epic Mickey | Wii |
| 2012 | Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two | Windows, PlayStation 3, Vita, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U |
