Despite over 5 million players and excellent ratings (4.8/5 on the Apple App Store), one of Disney's biggest video game hits will soon be shutting down completely and will no longer be accessible to players, even those who have purchased content or made microtransactions. Beyond this questionable decision to close Disney Mirrorverse, there is the more serious problem of the closures and outright disappearance of too many games today.
Disney Mirrorverse, A hasty closure despite ; success
The mobile game Disney Mirrorverse,developed by Kabam and launched in 2022, will close its doors permanently on December 16, 2024.Although popular and having benefited from a wide range of derivative products, as well as an aesthetic that influenced games such as the famous Lorcana,This title will soon no longer be accessible to players. This decision surprised many fans, due to the commercial success of the game and the commitment of a loyal community. However, the closure of video games, even those that have enjoyed a certain popularity, is a practice that has become more and more common in the industry.
Disney Mirrorverse offered a unique experience, where the iconic characters of Disney and Pixar were revisited in a dark and epic parallel universe. Players could assemble teams of “evolved” characters, each with special powers, to protect the Mirrorverse from an evil threat. This mix of real-time action and strategy had won over a wide audience.
However, December 16, 2024 will mark the end of this adventure. As of now, the game has been removed from app stores and all in-app transactions have been disabled. For players who have already installed the game, it will be possible to continue playing it until the servers are closed in December, but no new players will be able to discover this universe.
Kabam announced this decision by referring to the conclusion of the game's story arc, stating: “After countless adventures with our re-imagined heroes and villains, this chapter of the Mirrorverse comes to a close.” The studio also warmly thanked the community for their support and enthusiasm. However, this premature departure raises questions about video game preservation, a hot topic in the industry.
The scandal of the disappearance of games
The closure of Disney Mirrorverse is part of a broader trend, where many video games, especially online or mobile games, are disconnected after a few years, often without an alternative solution for players. This practice provokes strong reactions within the gaming community. For example, a European petition launched in July 2023, entitled “Stop destroying video games”, collected nearly 360,000 signatures to protest against this premature disappearance of titles (and you can find it here). The signatories ask publishers not to completely disable games they no longer want to maintain, but to allow players to continue to access them in one way or another.
This petition denounces a situation where games, sold as goods, become unplayable as soon as the servers are closed. The case of The Crew,2 a racing game from Ubisoft withdrawn in April 2024, is a striking example. Although it offered a single-player mode, the deactivation of the servers made the entire inaccessible game, even for those who had purchased it.
Can we still save video games?
The closure of games like Disney Mirrorverse or The Crew raisesquestions about the preservation of video games as an integral part of cultural heritage. Gamers, as well as some experts, believe that these titles should be allowed to continue to exist, if only for fans or for historical archiving. Thus the initiative “Stop destroying videogames”. advocates for gamers to have the possibility to create their own servers,or at least to be able to enjoy the games they have purchased. On the publishers' side, the closure of servers is often justified by reasons of cost or security of user data. But for gamers, it clearly reflects a lack of appreciation for the role of video games as an art form and a cultural expression.
In the meantime, the twilight is approaching for Disney Mirrorverse, and with it another chapter in video game historyis coming to an end. For fans, the only option left is to savor their final moments in the Mirrorverse before that dimension disappears once and for all. never.
