D23 is the first official fan club for fans of Disney’s over 100-year history, founded by Bob Iger (then-CEO of Disney) in 2009 and owned by the Walt Disney Company. D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event (which is what’s happening this weekend in Anaheim) is a one-of-a-kind, multi-day experience showcasing the very best in creative storytelling and innovation from across the worlds of Disney that is sponsored and hosted by the Walt Disney Company. This is, contrary to apparent popular belief, definitely not “just another gaming convention”! The name D23 pays homage to the exciting journey of Walt Disney, which began in 1923, when Walt opened his first studio in Hollywood, California. In order to attend the event, one must be a D23 Gold Member (which can be joined at one of three tiers, costing $49.99, $119.99, and $329.99 per year, respectively), and then one must reserve their tickets to the event, which sell out fast and cost between $297 and $1,299 for a three-day pass (and that’s the base level costs for three-day; they go up from there!). In order to host a panel at D23, you must be selected and invited by the administration of the D23 fan club: in other words, those who have panels have been specially selected by Disney!
Gameloft/Disney Dreamlight Valley officially hosting a panel on Friday at D23 is a huge deal! This isn’t just your average gaming convention coming soon reveal situation. No, this is putting DDLV on the proverbial map, in the hopes of attracting a whole new audience of Valley Villagers: ones who love Disney as much as I do, but may never have considered being able to hang out with their favorite characters in the Walt-inspired world of a cozy life sim/adventure game hybrid.
Together with the end-screen credits from the latest Adventure Pack (Honeyglow Wood), this invitation to speak at D23 shows that DDLV has been warmly (and officially) adopted into the Disney/Pixar Games family, which means new-CEO Josh D’Amaro’s “One Disney” ethos may have some profound impacts in and on the Valley we have all come to love.
What is Josh D’Amaro’s “One Disney” ethos? Upon becoming CEO, D’Amaro said:
“We will capitalize on our strengths by focusing on coming together as One Disney to deliver a more connected, personalized and immersive experience to our consumers—wherever they are, and whenever they would like to engage with us.” (Parade)
This strategy is about creating a unified Disney ecosystem where the stories we love on screen feel naturally connected to the experiences available to us in the physical world (theme parks, resorts, and, yes, gaming). In fact, gaming is a very important part of this strategy in Josh D’Amaro’s opinion:
“Younger audiences are gathering in these virtual spaces to play games, to socialize, and to watch. So these communities are forming, and we want to be a part of that. Think about a Disneyland theme park inside a virtual environment–and back and forth. We’re really pushing hard into that space [virtual spaces, such as games].” (Somewhat paraphrased and spliced together from WDWMagic.com.)
The fact that Gameloft/DDLV has been invited to host a panel at this D23 tells us that they have officially been welcomed into that “unified Disney ecosystem”. What could that mean for us in the Valley? What are the potential ramifications of this? On the outside, hopefully this will mean improved customer service, fairer moonstone/premium shop marketing, and perhaps more transparency when it comes to the ranking and scoring system for Dreamsnaps. On the inside–life in the actual Valley and all of the rampant speculation that comes like a wave before every new free update, adventure pack, or expansion–this has even deeper implications, especially when it comes to the ongoing mystery of the Realmweaver.
Given all of that, I would advise everyone to pay close attention not just to the DDLV panel on Friday, but to everything happening at D23 this year: all the reveals, whether entertainment or experiences (parks, resorts, cruises); the who’s who that are being inducted as Legends this year, and even more niche panels, such as the one about the Society of Explorers and Adventurers happening in the Imagineering Pavilion on the same day as the DDLV panel. Clues about what’s coming to the Valley–and especially the Realmweaver’s identity–could pop up literally anywhere or everywhere, so tune in wherever you can find live feeds over the weekend, and also on Disney+.
