The Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG) is responsible for the global creation and delivery of Disney-branded entertainment and lifestyle content across all interactive media platforms, including PCs, mobile phones and video game consoles. In June 2008, The Walt Disney Company formed DIMG, a combination of its preexisting Walt Disney Internet Group and Disney Interactive Studios units, to take best advantage of rapid advancements in interactive digital media and cross-platform content convergence. DIMG also provides technology strategy, solutions and execution for The Walt Disney Company.
The division operates two global content creation units, Disney Interactive Studios and Disney Online, as well as a mobile phone service in Japan that launched in 2008.
Disney Interactive Studios and Disney Online work together to leverage platform-specific expertise to create a line of connected, multiplatform entertainment experiences. Co-produced products in 2008 include a Disney Club Penguin Nintendo DS™ game, which allows players to transfer points earned playing the DS game to the virtual online world, as well as DGamer, an online community for Nintendo DS developed exclusively for Disney video gamers and integrated with Disney.com.
Disney Interactive Studios self publishes and distributes a broad portfolio of video games and interactive entertainment, distributed globally, for handheld, mobile and console platforms. With six internal development studios worldwide, each “creative center of excellence” develops and publishes video games inspired by the breadth of intellectual properties throughout The Walt Disney Company's businesses, including properties based on hit Disney Channel franchises such as High School Musical and Hannah Montana and film franchises inspired by live-action and animated feature films, such as the upcoming 2010 Pixar film Toy Story 3. Disney Interactive Studios also creates original intellectual properties including Spectrobes, music titles including Ultimate Band and Sing It and the award-winning, adrenalin-fueled action racing game Pure, which all have the potential to expand beyond the video game market into other business areas of the Company. In addition to its robust portfolio of self-published titles, Disney Interactive Studios selectively licenses Disney-branded properties to other platform holders and key licensees, including Square Enix for the successful video game franchise Kingdom Hearts.
