Disney Merging Internet and Games Groups
Disney is merging the Walt Disney Internet Group and the Disney Interactive Studios into one new group, the Disney Interactive Media Group, according to an internal memo from Disney CEO Bob Iger. Disney has already made a move towards formalizing its MMO and virtual world practice by creating the Disney Online Studios in February, a part of the DIG, but rolling it all together with the Disney Interactive Studios seems like it could increase the collaboration between online worlds developers and traditional game designers. The change is effective immediately.
Steve Wadsworth, previously the president of the DIG, will lead the Interactive Media Group, working with the existing management of the two groups to lead the new team. In particular, Wadsworth will work with Graham Hopper, former EVP and GM of Disney Interactive Studios, to "optimize for new opportunities."
"The uniqueness of the Disney brand provides us an opportunity and an imperative to create a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices," explained Iger. " Additionally, as console and handheld games become more connected to the Internet, and as Internet and mobile become increasingly robust destinations for games and a range of interactive entertainment, we are taking this opportunity to integrate these activities."
Indeed, projects like Disney's DGamer for the Nintendo DS, I think, have already done just that.
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