May 21, 2007 - At the Pirates of the Caribbean World Premiere at the world-famous
Disneyland theme park Disney Interactive (formally Buena Vista Games) announced a partnership with its park counterpart. This new partnership looks to integrate both Disneyland and Disney World with Disney Interactive properties, beginning with DS support for the new Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End game.
The DS download station will work similarly to the Nintendo-supported stations already available worldwide in GameStop and other major retailers and consumer locations, but with a twist. For Pirates, Disney Interactive has set up three treasure marks (in the form of a silver X) around the ride itself. While waiting for the ride, park-goers can search for the hidden spots, pull out their Nintendo DS (with Pirates of the Caribbean cartridge) and download exclusive content for the game itself. The current downloads include exclusive cheats for the game, allowing players infinite life, all characters, and all areas unlocked. The majority of the cheats rest within the multiplayer element of the game, as Disney is looking to encourage gamers to bring their DS to the park, find the hidden treasure, and then make use of the new characters and locales by battling with other park patrons. Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Interactive Studios had the following to day about the new technology implementation:
"This first-ever collaboration between Disney Interactive Studios and the Disney Parks will enhance the guest's experience by utilizing new technology, which is a key feature of the park's new media focus, and also part or our commitment to quality and creativity in the games we make. This is an example of how we create a broad gaming experience as well as a broad park experience and bring Disney magic in a way nobody else can. We're very excited about the potential for this program, and we'll continue to find ways to incorporate technology to delight Disney fans in ways nobody else can."
After the announcement, we had a chance to go hands-on with the new technology at the ride's entrance. The download took between 30 - 45 seconds due to the high frequency of users at the time (we had about 30 DS units downloading simultaneously), but the process was quick and easy, having the cheats saved to our Pirates game cart within a minute of booting the system. Disney is keeping the locations of the hotspots a secret, and is hoping to add some real-world exploration to both the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, as well as the game. The company also hinted at the possibility of future uses for this technology around the park, but wouldn't further comment.
We'll have more on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as the game release, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the hotspots next time you venture to the parks. Remember, X marks the spot. The hotspots will be available starting this Tuesday (the game's official release), and will run through Labor Day.
