Disney Interactive Studios discussed the success of its business, unveiled a major new online community initiative and announced new titles in popular video game franchises during the E3 Media & Business Summit 2007.
Disney Interactive Studios plans to invest $130 million in product development in 2007. The company also continues to invest in talent, which has grown to around 700 employees in 11 countries.
Ninety percent of new products will be Disney-branded with 70 percent based on films and television properties and the other 20 percent focused on new intellectual property. The remaining 10 percent will be devoted to non-Disney branded content such as games branded Touchstone or ABC.
DGamer, a new online community initiative that will be included in all Disney Interactive Studios’ Nintendo DS games starting in May 2008, was unveiled. DGamer will link to the DGamer Channel on Disney.com. Also announced were The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game and Spectrobes II, both second installments of successful franchises.
Disney Interactive Studios said that Disney-branded games ranked first in North American sales among all third-party published Nintendo DS games in 2006, which includes Disney Interactive Studios’ published games and licensed properties such as Disney Pixar titles published by THQ. Among all publishers, Disney Interactive Studios was fourth in Nintendo DS game sales in 2006 (up from No. 10 in 2005) and third in Game Boy Advance sales (up from No. 4), according to The NPD Group.
Disney Interactive Studios also showcased upcoming youth-branded games both for handheld and console platforms. New video games for girls, boys and families will include titles on multiple platforms based on the Disney Channel franchises High School Musical, Hannah Montana and Power Rangers. Titles such as Disney Friends, Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey and Enchanted round out the lineup.
The release date for Turok, which will be published under the company’s Touchstone brand, was announced as February 5, 2008. The re-imagined game from Classic Media’s popular license will be available for the Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3.
