Support for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might have come to an end, but crossover platform fighters live on through the power of licensing. The animation world has been especially enthusiastic about the genre’s potential. Both Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Warner Bros.’ MultiVersus represent a potential ongoing thread in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's wake, but what is strange is the lack of Disney in the scene. Considering how many franchises the Walt Disney Company has acquired over the past decade, and how impactful Disney is on animation in general, it comes as a shocker. A company as huge as Disney could easily take advantage of what was established by MultiVersus and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
While there are planned announcements for future Disney-related video games, there are no confirmed plans for a Disney-themed platform fighter, nor are there any rumors. While these upcoming announcements will likely focus on the big franchises now owned by Disney such as Star Wars and Marvel, games based on the animated properties and even the live action works are just as viable. The platform fighter is an excellent genre for a Disney-themed crossover, but if it were to happen, it has to avoid a few pitfalls.
The Important Elements of a Disney Crossover and Good Platform Fighter
Nowadays, Disney crossovers are expected to incorporate everything the company owns, including properties bought by Disney after its initial creation. The problem is that not only do the “traditional” Disney movies have plenty of material to work with, but so do the major properties and studios acquired by the company for the past decade and a half. A multiplayer-based game can be made by solely focusing on the Star Wars universe, or Marvel characters. Even franchises that Disney bought but has generally left alone, like The Simpsons, can stand on their own. Incorporating all of them into a crossover would be overwhelming, and the sheer popularity of Marvel and Star Wars may risk overshadowing older, more obscure characters that contributed to Disney’s rise to fame and success.
A Disney platform fighter should focus on the company’s animated works and the Disney-produced live action films that still have a part in pop culture, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Games such as Disney Emoji Blitz and Kingdom Hearts are an indicator of what people expect with Disney crossovers.
The tricky part is choosing which characters and movies actually deserve representation. Ideally, if this hypothetical game aims to celebrate Disney’s history instead of promoting the most profitable works, then it should strike a balance between old and new, as well as what is currently popular and the historically impactful. A roster of that kind can have modern merchandise makers such as Jack Skellington and Elsa, while reminding itself of studio icons such as the Genie, Tinker Bell, Winnie the Pooh, and Pinocchio. Of course, there is the question of Pixar representation. Toy Story's success and popularity means starting with only Woody and Buzz Lightyear sounds like a no-brainer, but Pixar has much more to offer.
Another important thing for Disney to realize if it were to tackle the platform fighter genre is that marketability does not matter in the long run if the game is mediocre. A Disney platform fighter would need its own unique approach to stand apart. MultiVersus has emphasis on cooperation in a tag team, for instance. This theoretical Disney version will need to come up with distinctive features that set it apart from the growing competition. The ownership of a plethora of iconic characters can only take a work so far.
A Disney platform fighter will need to focus on both the roster and the mechanics. Since there are so many characters in Disney and Pixar’s animated works alone, it may come down to a question of who was the most historically significant. If such a game were to be made and ended up as a shallower version of Smash Bros., it will quickly vanish. Brand loyalty is not enough, even for one of the most powerful companies on the planet. If Disney wants its own platform fighter, it will have to learn to stand on its own.