For generations, Disney has set the standard for immersive storytelling, inviting fans to step inside its characters, worlds, and stories across its parks and experiences. Now, with Disney Games as part of the Disney Entertainment segment, that legacy is expanding in new ways, giving fans the chance to move beyond watching their favorite stories and become active participants in them. Through original interactive experiences, games are increasingly serving as both a powerful storytelling medium and an entry point for new audiences to discover Disney’s characters, worlds, and franchises.
In the video above, Sean Shoptaw, EVP of Global Games and Digital Entertainment, reflects on a future where stories continue to evolve alongside fans, and where games increasingly become the first-place audiences discover Disney’s characters and worlds.
In collaboration with our licensee partners, Disney Games has driven an estimated $3.5 billion in consumer spend annually for the past four years — and crossed $4 billion this past fiscal year, cementing interactive entertainment as a key part of Disney’s storytelling strategy in the present and the future.
Original Stories, Built for Gaming
At the center of Shoptaw’s vision is a simple idea: games should tell their own original stories designed specifically for gaming — not merely retell or extend films or series.
“The way Disney is shaping the future of interactive entertainment through games is really acknowledging that games have become a foundational part of the broader entertainment landscape,” he explained.
That strategy is already producing results.
“We’ve built a really foundational footprint in games today,” Shoptaw said. He added that our portfolio includes “nine games that have grossed over $1 billion at retail. So, it’s about telling truly original stories that really are unique to this medium, specifically.”
The Disney Games Group portfolio spans nine billion-dollar franchises including Kingdom Hearts and Marvel’s Strike Force, more than half of which have emerged in the last 12 years. Disney is also building new franchises through gaming, including Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, which arrives in September.
The strategy extends across Disney’s portfolio.
Lucasfilm Games spans more than 20 genres across every major platform alone, underscoring Disney’s commitment to original interactive experiences rather than simple adaptations.
And the Disney & Pixar Games mobile portfolio, inclusive of Disney Solitaire, Disney Tsum Tsum, and Disney Magic Kingdoms, has reached over 1 billion installs since 2014.
Rarely Just a Game
For younger audiences, games are more than entertainment. They’re places to socialize, create, and express identity. Increasingly, they’re also where new fans first encounter Disney brands.
“These are platforms where Gen Z [and] Gen Alpha primarily are spending a lot of their time, hanging out with their friends,” Shoptaw noted.
Marvel Rivals, for example, has attracted 40 million players worldwide, with 60% under age 24.
“It’s a really good example of just how powerful and meaningful these worlds can be,” he said.
Beyond player numbers, Marvel Rivals supports the largest Discord community in gaming, with more than 4.4 million members, and generated more than 285 million Twitch viewing hours in 2025.
Epic Scale
One of Disney’s biggest interactive bets is its strategic relationship with Epic Games to build a persistent entertainment universe that blends gaming, storytelling, and creator expression.
“Our partnership with Epic is a really important one,” Shoptaw pointed out. “What Epic has built with Fortnite has really created one of the most important social entertainment platforms in the world, and certainly for us, we see a ton of opportunity to bring our great characters, stories, and worlds into that universe and build something truly unique to Disney.”
The project reflects how audiences already engage with entertainment. For example, 84% of families say they enjoy seeing familiar characters move between games and video content, creating opportunities for Disney stories to live across platforms and formats.
Something Truly Transformational
Ask Shoptaw where the next generation of Disney fans will discover their favorite characters, stories, and worlds, and games are central to the answer.
For Disney Games, the mission is straightforward: create original, immersive, and social experiences that don’t just tell stories, but invite fans to live inside them.
“Our ambition is to create something truly transformational,” he said. “A space that people can come play, watch, and create, and a space that we bring all of Disney together in one connected universe.”
