5 Original Disney series that never got a Videogame (but should have)…

The Walt Disney Company has been around for literally over a century now. In that time they’ve made tons of movies and shows, and most have gotten a game adaptation of some sort whether it’s a regular console game, mobile game, or even a game on various websites. But some pretty popular series have puzzling never gotten any sort of video game adaptation. Here’s five that never did and really should have…

#5. Even Stevens

I’m too old to be of the crowd that would’ve been into Even Stevens. Really pretty much the whole beginning of the Disney Channel having original tween comedies. Seen a couple of episodes here and there, never my thing. But I recognize it was a wildly popular series and Shia LeBouf at least for a time was a huge star that launched from this show. So it’s just a little weird that it never got a game.

Sure, it might be a little difficult to conceive of what an Even Stevens video game would be given it’s just a slice of life about a kinda weird kid and his overachieving sister. But that hasn’t stopped other shows. Like That’s So Raven has multiple games. Hell Home Improvement has a game. Surely somebody could’ve come up with an idea to capitalize on while the show was at its height. Obviously it’s far too late now and a revival is out of the question for various reasons so the chances of ever getting a game based on this once-popular show are infinitesimal.

#4. The Mighty Ducks

Granted, The Mighty Ducks is one of at least a dozen attempts to do some variation on the much more popular and longer-lasting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But the Turtles have tons of games based on them so it’s kind of surprising this show, especially in an era where crappy licensed games were abundant, never got any game for any system. The ingredients are certainly there for a multi-player side-scrolling brawler with five distinct characters with different abilities. Or even an action game where you switch between the various alien ducks to use their different talents to overcome obstacles and/or specific enemies. Lots of wasted potential and honestly even a bad licensed game might’ve had a legacy beyond the life of the show because hey people love playing old games good or bad on streams these days.

#3. Disney’s Recess

Granted, I was definitely “too old” for Disney’s Recess when it came out, but I still watched plenty of it as its group of misfits was pretty fun. You certainly wouldn’t want anything like a side-scrolling brawler, but a non-violent platformer featuring one or more of the kids wouldn’t be a bad idea. Heck even something where maybe it’s a stealth game and they have to sneak around the school. And unlike many shows on this list, Disney’s Recess had a pretty long run for a show of its type with six seasons, multiple movies and even a crossover with Lilo and Stitch: The Series. A kid’s show this popular should’ve gotten a proper videogame tie-in (there was one half-assed Flash game which I am not counting) and it’s a real mystery why it never did.

#2. House of Mouse

Yes, there is Kingdom Hearts, which features many Disney characters, but they don’t mingle like they do in House of Mouse. And while the premise of House of Mouse itself doesn’t necessarily lend itself to an easy videogame tie-in, there’s was tons of potential here to make it a celebration of the history of Disney animation, even if it was just the shorts which are a very important part of that history.

I think you could take the basis of the House of Villains episode where various villains hijack the club, and Mickey, Donald, and Goofy have to take it back, possibly adventuring through the scenes of various cartoon shorts to do so (sort of like what Mickey does in Mickey Mania). House of Mouse is still popular enough (it’s one of the most requested shows to be put on Disney Plus but I believe music rights are holding it back) that you could release a game tie-in today and if done well people would eat it up.

#1. Adventures of the Gummi Bears

It is absolutely criminal that Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears never got a video game. It started a little before the fondly remembered Disney Afternoon was really a thing, but it was a precursor to all those great shows in that animation block and had such an easy and natural setup in a time where licensed games, both good and bad, were aplenty. People still remember and love this show. You could easily release a small game using the Gummi Bears and people would eat it up. This always seems like a contender for a revival of sorts so my hope for someone someday doing it in videogame form springs eternal.

That’s it for today, I’ll definitely be back next week with thoughts on Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Remastered so see ya real soon!