Planet Coaster and Jurassic World developer Frontier partners with Disney for a new video game
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has confirmed a new partnership with Disney to produce an original video game using Disney's intellectual property. The announcement, made via press release, cements Frontier's strategy of building out its "Creative Management Simulation" (CMS) genre expertise and pairs the studio with one of the world's biggest entertainment brands, though it does not yet reveal what form the game will take.
No title, release date or specific Disney property has been disclosed; Frontier has confirmed only that the project is fully self-funded by the studio and will draw on its experience leading the CMS genre. CEO Jo Cooke said the deal reinforces Frontier's mission to connect its creative community with "one of the world's most iconic and beloved brands". The announcement arrived a week ahead of Frontier's quarterly earnings, alongside other studio news including the upcoming October release of Planet Zoo 2 (which adds flying and aquatic creatures and expands to more platforms), an unannounced second management game in development, and the recent success of Jurassic World Evolution 3.
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In short
- Frontier Developments to make a new Disney game using Disney IP
- No title, platform or release date confirmed yet
- Comes alongside Planet Zoo 2's October launch and Frontier's earnings
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has confirmed a new partnership with Disney to produce an original video game using Disney's intellectual property.
- 2 months ago Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has confirmed a new partnership with Disney to create an original video game built on Disney's intellectual property.
- 2 months ago Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has confirmed a new partnership with Disney to produce an original video game using Disney's intellectual property.
- 2 months ago Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has announced a new partnership with Disney to build an original video game using Disney's intellectual property.
- 2 months ago Frontier Developments, the studio behind Planet Coaster and the Jurassic World management games, has announced a new partnership with Disney to create an original video game built on Disney's intellectual property.
- Push Square Planet Coaster Dev Announces Partnership with Disney on a New Management Sim
- IGN Planet Coaster Maker Announces Disney Game Development, Opening Doors to a Disneyland Park Creator
- GameSpot Planet Coaster Dev Announces New Game With Disney, And That’s Very Exciting
- Eurogamer Planet Coaster and Jurassic World developer Frontier partners with Disney for a new video game
- Rock Paper Shotgun Planet Coaster and Jurassic World devs Frontier have teamed up with Disney to make what is probably a Disneyland tycoon game
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the tie-up see it as a shrewd, low-risk way for Frontier to grow: the studio already has a proven track record turning management-sim mechanics into hits, and pairing that expertise with one of the most recognisable and beloved catalogues of characters and worlds in entertainment gives it a built-in audience and marketing halo that a wholly original title would struggle to match. Because Frontier is self-funding the project rather than ceding creative or financial control to a publisher, they argue it can capture more of the upside while still benefiting from Disney's brand power, reinforcing a diversified, multi-franchise strategy that has served the company well with Jurassic World and Planet Coaster.
The case against
Sceptics worry that Frontier is spreading itself too thin, launching yet another ambitious project while Jurassic World Evolution 3 has only just shipped, Planet Zoo 2 is still weeks from release, and another unannounced management title is already in the pipeline, raising questions about whether development resources and creative attention can stretch across so many simultaneous commitments. They also note the timing, coming just a week before quarterly earnings, invites the reading that the announcement is aimed at reassuring investors and shaping sentiment ahead of results, and caution that building around a licensed IP as strict and closely guarded as Disney's could constrain creative freedom compared with the wholly owned franchises that built Frontier's reputation.
Explained simply
Frontier Developments is a British video game studio best known for management and simulation games, including Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo and the Jurassic World Evolution series, where players build and run their own theme parks, zoos or dinosaur reserves. The company has now agreed a partnership with Disney to create a new game using Disney's characters or franchises, though which ones remain unspecified.
The deal matters because it brings a major global entertainment brand together with a studio that specialises in a specific style of game, often called "creative management simulation," where the appeal lies in building and managing something rather than traditional action or combat. Frontier says it will fund the game itself and use the expertise it has developed through its existing titles, while Disney's involvement gives the project access to one of the best-known sets of characters and stories in the world.
The announcement lands as Frontier has several projects in motion, including the newly released Jurassic World Evolution 3 and the forthcoming Planet Zoo 2, and just ahead of the company's next set of financial results, which will give an early indication of how investors and analysts view the move.
Coverage · 5 sources
- EurogamerPlanet Coaster and Jurassic World developer Frontier partners with Disney for a new video game
- Push SquarePlanet Coaster Dev Announces Partnership with Disney on a New Management Sim
- IGNPlanet Coaster Maker Announces Disney Game Development, Opening Doors to a Disneyland Park Creator
- GameSpotPlanet Coaster Dev Announces New Game With Disney, And That’s Very Exciting
- Rock Paper ShotgunPlanet Coaster and Jurassic World devs Frontier have teamed up with Disney to make what is probably a Disneyland tycoon game
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