News
Walt Disney Company switches focus to games
Neil Long Feb 22 2008, 11:09am
Comments (4)
Company's top bosses backing interactive division like never before, says UK boss Carroll
Executives at the very top of the Walt Disney Company have targeted gaming as their priority – and are backing its interactive entertainment division with unprecedented vigour, according to UK and Ireland boss Matt Carroll.
Disney Interactive Studios enjoyed its best-ever year in 2007, and has now been given free reign to ramp up its studio base as well as the number of ‘core’ releases – as it continues to leverage its powerhouse IPs in the games market.
Earlier this week, Disney brought development and publishing duties for the latest Toy Story video game adaptation in-house. The company rejected a pitch from THQ for the licence – which had, in the past, been licensed out to Activision.
“Games have been embraced by the very top of the company,” said UK and Ireland country director Matt Carroll. “There’s a significant push throughout the company to innovate in new technology.
“One of the things we have been doing is ramping up internal development because we believe that by owning studios you can innovate and own the innovation.”
Carroll also stressed that the publisher is much more than a one hit wonder:
“People will remember us at Christmas for High School Musical but that accounted for half of our business during that quarter and only represented about a quarter of our business for the whole year. This year will be another year of tremendous growth in the breadth of our portfolio.”
Comments
“how good the walt disney films are”
Posted by: Betty Bo - Mar 11, 12:09pm
the walt disney films are the best in the whole wide world i like high school musical the best but is it true that vanessa huges is going to be kick ed the show of hih school musical when u have finshed the 3rd 1 please say no because i want to see high school musical 4 and so on
“you're films r great”
Posted by: ashley - Mar 11, 12:13pm
love ur films don't stop making high school musical
“Re: you're films r great”
Posted by: alayna - Mar 11, 12:17pm
i've watched youre films since i was lil i think hsm is brill and don't stop it
“hsm”
Posted by: THE PUPILS OF MIDDLECOTT SCHOOL - Mar 11, 12:18pm
don't STOP hsm PLEASE