Epic Mickey director says “gamers didn’t get it”, but “proud” of the title

Warren Spector acted as director on Epic Mickey – as well as its sequel. As a huge Disney fan, it was a big passion project for him.

Spector reflected on Epic Mickey and its initial reception while speaking with Venturebeat. As someone who worked on immersive sims before like Deus Ex, this was a big change in terms of what fans came to know him for. Specter said “gamers didn’t get it”, but he’s still “proud of Epic Mickey”.

Specter’s full words:

“If I’m playing a shooter and I’m not good enough, which I’m not, my option is to stop. And so I’ve always thought immersive sims were it. The sales have not borne that out. But I said to myself, when Disney came around with Mickey Mouse as my star, I could reach a mainstream audience with these ideas. And so Epic Mickey, it was an immersive sim, right? And gamers didn’t get it. I got so many emails and Twitter messages about sell out, sell out. But the philosophy was there if they had just taken the time to look for it. So I’m pretty proud of Epic Mickey too.”

Epic Mickey released in 2010, followed by its sequel in 2012. There were also plans for Epic Donald and Epic Disney Racers, but both were scrapped.