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Frontier Developments to Develop and Publish New Game Based on Disney IP
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Frontier Developments has entered into an agreement with Disney to develop and publish a new game drawing on Disney’s portfolio of intellectual property. The Cambridge-based studio announced the deal on September 3, 2026, confirming that it will fully fund the project itself.
The game will build on the company’s experience in the Creative Management Simulation (CMS) genre, the category that contains its Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, and Jurassic World Evolution franchises. Frontier described those franchises as genre-leading in the announcement and said the Disney project sits alongside an unannounced Planet game currently in development.
The announcement identifies the project only as a new game based on Disney IP, with Frontier holding both development and publishing responsibilities. It does not name a title, a specific Disney property, a release window, or target platforms. Frontier will fund the game in full, rather than working under a third-party publishing arrangement.
Chief Executive Comments
Jo Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Developments, addressed the agreement in the announcement.
“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Disney, which further reinforces our clearly defined strategy of developing and nurturing world-class creative management simulation game franchises. Our mission with this game is to connect a passionate creative community of players with one of the world’s most iconic and beloved brands, and I can’t wait to see what our talented teams will create with this amazing opportunity.”
What the Filing Confirms
The company disclosed the agreement through a regulatory announcement filed on September 3, 2026, the same date as the press release on Frontier’s website. The filing carries the same core terms: an agreement with Disney, a new game drawing on Disney’s IP portfolio, Frontier as developer and publisher, and full funding provided by the company.
The release appeared the same day as the top item on the company’s official press page, dated September 3, 2026. The filing was distributed through RNS, the London Stock Exchange’s regulatory news service, and names Peel Hunt as the company’s nominated adviser and corporate broker.
Company Background
Frontier Developments is an independent developer and publisher of video games headquartered in Cambridge, specialising in CMS experiences. The company develops its franchises using its proprietary COBRA technology, and its core CMS line-up includes Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, and Jurassic World Evolution. Frontier says the CMS genre underpins its strategy, which it describes as driving long-term and sustainable growth through player engagement, back-catalogue performance, and a pipeline of new games.
The company’s investor relations page describes Frontier as a leading independent developer and publisher of video games for PC and consoles, with a history spanning more than 30 years. Its wider portfolio includes the space exploration game Elite Dangerous, the F1 Manager franchise, and the tactical turn-based role-playing game Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters. Frontier operates from two studios: its Cambridge headquarters and a second studio in Winnipeg, Canada, home to its Complex Games team. The company is listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.
The Disney agreement also has a precedent in the studio’s catalogue. Frontier’s official company history records that in 2011 it released Disneyland Adventures, a collaboration with Microsoft Studios and Disney that re-created Disneyland in Anaheim with open-world exploration as a Kinect title.
Frontier’s history page also documents a run of park and management titles predating the Planet franchises, including RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 with publisher Atari in 2004, Thrillville and Thrillville: Off the Rails, and Zoo Tycoon for Xbox 360 and Xbox One with Microsoft Studios in 2013. David Braben founded the company in 1994, and Frontier has self-published its own titles for roughly the past decade.
The September 3 announcement follows a run of dated releases and reveals on Frontier’s press page through 2026, including the launch of the Jurassic World Evolution 3: Crocodilia Coast expansion on August 11, 2026 and the appointment of a new Chief Marketing Officer announced on August 6, 2026. The Disney project, still untitled, joins the unannounced Planet game as the second in-development project referenced in the release.
