Disney’s ‘Star Wars: Commander’ Video Game Integrates Maker Studios Gameplay

Disney Interactive has figured out a way to deliver gameplay videos to viewers without those viewers ever having to stop playing the game. The video game studio arm of the Mouse House teamed with Maker Studios to host gameplay videos (e.g. Let’s Play videos, walkthroughs, tutorials, and more) from several Maker talent partners directly within the Star Wars: Commander mobile strategy game.

Star Wars: Commander, which takes place within the Star Wars universe after the destruction of the Imperial Death Star in the film Star Wars: A New Hope, lets players choose to fight for either the Rebellion or Empire as they build up armies, complete missions, and engage in battles. The free-to-play mobile strategy game boasts a community hub called “Commander Infonet,” where players can now click a new “Video” tab to view the Maker-created gameplay content. Fans can also watch in-game clips like tips and tricks, as well as developer diaries from the Star Wars: Commander team.

Chris Heatherly, SVP and GM of Disney Mobile Games, wrote in a blog post how featuring gameplay videos from Maker talent (who haven’t been revealed as of yet) gives those creators access to the 20 million

users who have downloaded Star Wars: Commander. The move to include Maker content within the mobile strategy games also means Disney can maintain a “healthy player community,” where users don’t have to have a “totally separate experience” when viewing related gameplay on another platform.

“It’s been an incredible amount of work from both the Star Wars: Commander team and Maker Studios to launch this program and we are really excited by the results,” Heatherley wrote. “We can’t wait to see more creative content from Maker, the team, and the community at large!”

Maker Studios talent has been participating in more Disney- and Star Wars-themed content as of late. The multi-channel network teamed with Disney to create a talent incubator program dubbed Disney XD by Maker to find creative talent who can develop shows for distribution across the Disney XD network. Maker creators also participated in a global Star Wars unboxing event to celebrate the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

You can download Star Wars: Commander on Google Play, the iTunes App Store, or the Windows App Store.