Less than twenty-four hours after the renowned Disney character’s public domain debut, a new Mickey Mouse horror game has been unveiled. The beloved Disney mascot has been turned into a vicious hunting machine.
Infestation 88 is a survival game developed by Nightmare Forge Games. The trailer for the game features an early Mickey Mouse from the Steamboat Willie short film, hunting down players.
In 1988, a rat infestation “morphed into something considerably more deadly,” according to the 1-4 player game authors.
In the preview, we see a massive, bloody Mickey Mouse—quite different from his famous days as Disney’s spokesperson—attacking exterminators attempting to contain the rodent epidemic.
In the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, Mickey and Minnie Mouse appear but do not speak. Many consider it the turning point in Disney’s career since it was the debut of his most iconic and long-lasting character.
After almost a century at Disney, the original Mr. Mouse became public domain on Monday. Now that Steamboat Willie’s copyright has expired, the iconic black-and-white Disney characters may be used by creators in any way they want.
The more contemporary iterations of Mickey Mouse are still protected by Disney copyright.
Any characters who appeared in Steamboat Willie became part of the public domain on New Year’s Day because, according to US copyright law, the rights to characters can only be maintained for 95 years.
No specific date for the game’s release has been revealed.
Shortly after Winnie-the-Pooh joined the public domain in January 2022, a horrific version of the character emerged.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is a horror film in which the plump, carefree, awkward bear transforms into a serial murderer.
After Christopher Robin leaves Pooh and Piglet behind as he goes off to college, the 2023 film depicts a dark side.
While looking for a fresh food source, Pooh and Piglet go on a murderous frenzy, hunting and murdering everything in their path.
Also released into the public domain in 2024 were Pooh and Piglet’s friend Tigger.
