 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | October 2, 2000; 25 years ago (2000-10-02) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Bart Decrem (GM) |
| Products | Mobile video games Apps |
| Brands | |
| Services | Wireless |
Number of employees | 50 |
| Parent | Disney Interactive |
| Divisions | Starwave Mobile |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
Disney Mobile is an American division ofDisney Consumer Products, which is in itself a division ofThe Walt Disney Company, that designs mobile games and apps, content and services.[1]
In August 2000,Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) entered the mobile content market in Japan with an agreement withNTT DoCoMo to launch the Disney-i content service.[3] In November 2003, WDIG and Index Corporation agreed to "develop and distribute Disney-branded mobile content for the Chinese market" and that Index would, in conjunction with China Mobile, work to launch the Disney Mobile service.[4] Walt Disney Internet Group launched DisneyMobile.com in December 2003 as a portal for Disney Mobile content.[5]
Starting in January 2004, WDIG licensed Disney Mobile content toKPN, a prominent Dutch telecom firm.[6] In March 2004, WDIG agreed to a licensing deal withVodafone to provide Disney Mobile services in 14 countries: Australia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.[7] Also in 2004, Disney re-activated the Starwave identity as Starwave Mobile, which publishes casual games for mobile phones for non-Disney brands within Disney's conglomerate or from third parties.[8]
Sprint and Disney had previously launched a phone service for sports fans using content from Disney's sports channel,ESPN, brandedMobile ESPN.[9]
The company, that worked with Sprint, started amobile virtual network operator in theUnited States,[10] which launched in June 2006.[citation needed] Earlier, DMobile and O2 agreed to amobile virtual network operator agreement in April 2006 for theUnited Kingdom.[11] In August 2006, DMobile halted its plans to roll out its wireless service in the UK, citing "adverse changes in the retail environment for its decision".[12]
In September 2007, DMobile stopped signing up new wireless customers and discontinued the wireless service altogether on December 31, 2007. DMobile decided to shift its strategy by licensing its mobile suite, Family Center, and its content to other providers.[13] However, in November 2007, Disney Japan andSoftbank announced a wireless service joint venture, Disney Mobile, to be launched in 2008.[14]
In July 2010, Disney purchasedTapulous to increase available mobile expertise. In 2011, Bart Decrem of Tapulous was appointed general manager of DMobile.[2]
Launched September 22, 2011,Where's My Water?, a mobile game, starring Swampy the alligator - the first Disney original mobile character - rivaledAngry Birds for 20 days in October 2011, even becoming the top mobile game on theiTunes bestseller charts for a short time.[citation needed] This has led to a YouTube channel with a web series for Swampy.[2]Where's My Water? has inspired several spin-offs, including “Where's My Perry?” and “Where's My Mickey?”.[15]
Also launched by DMobile in September 2011 wasPuffle Launch, a mobile version of the game played onClub Penguin. In October 2011, working withSpin Master, DMobile launched the first Disney Appmates game withCars 2 toys that interact with an iPad screen.[2]
With a decrease in venture capital flowing into game companies, Disney Interactive, including Disney Mobile, has been able to find co-development partners easier.[vague] This co-development model has lifted Disney to have 11 games among the 200 most-downloaded.[16] Disney Mobile teamed up withImangi Studios to release a version ofTemple Run based on the filmBrave, titledTemple Run: Brave.[when?] DMobile teamed up with developer Hipster Whale to releaseDisney Crossy Road on April 6, 2016, which in two days became the top downloaded game oniOS.[17]
In the US, Disney Mobile operated onSprint'sCDMA network. Disney handled the administrative side and marketed the service to family subscribers.[10]
Disney Mobile's offerings included Family Center suite, a multiple family-friendly applications to help parents manage their family's mobile phone experience. The innovative family monitor and call control features allowed parents to set spending limits and decide when the phone could and couldn't be used. The family locator service allowed parents to use GPS to locate their child's phone. There was also a family alert feature that let the whole family send text messages to each other.[10][13]
Disney and Sprint had hoped that Disney Mobile content and applications would help drive demand for data services.[10]
Disney Mobile is well known for producing a myriad of games foriOS andAndroid, but due to the limitations of its support team, it must discontinue old games before releasing new ones. Some games, such asWhere's My Water? will continue to be supported indefinitely.[citation needed]
| Disney Publishing Worldwide |
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|---|---|
| Games and interactive experiences |
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| Other | |
| Major network operators | |
|---|---|
| Minor and regional network operators | |
| Mobile virtual network operators | |
