Disney Interactive

Disney Interactive formerly known as Disney Interactive Media Group and Walt Disney Internet Group, is an American company that oversees various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries.

History

In December 1994, Disney announced that it was establishing a new division dedicated to publishing computer and video game console software, called Disney Interactive. The initial staff consisted of 200 newly hired employees. The company was formally established in mid-1995. On Aug 23, 1995, Disney Interactive formed Disney Online unit.

Buena Vista Internet Group

Disney purchased a one-third share of Starwave on April 3, 1997, for $100 million. Disney on January 1998 registered go.com. Exercising its options, Disney purchased the outstanding shares of Starwave from Paul Allen in April 1998. In June 1998, Disney purchased 43% ownership of Infoseek in exchange for Starwave and $70 million. Infoseek and Disney Online joint ventured in developing the Go Network, an internet portal. With Disney's purchase of the remainder of Infoseek in July 1999, the Go Network, Infoseek, the Disney Catalog, Disney Online (Disney.com and DisneyStore.com), ABC News Internet Ventures and ESPN Internet Ventures and Buena Vista Internet Group are merged into the Go.com company.

Blitz Games

Blitz Games (formally known as Interactive Studios) was a division of Blitz Games Studios and was responsible for producing its family titles, which were often licensed games based on well known IP. It was located in Warwickshire, England. It specialized in producing mass-market family games on all console formats using their own middleware.

Blitz Games was the overall company name until 2008 when it was renamed/rebranded to Blitz Games Studios, to better reflect the variety of divisions and it was providing.

On 12 September 2013, Blitz Games Studios announced in an official statement that they had ceased trading after 23 years after being unable to secure funds to sustain the business.

Games

Disney Interactive Studios

Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games, Inc.) is an American video game company. It self-publishes and distributes multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. Disney Interactive Studios is a subsidiary of Disney Interactive; thus a part of The Walt Disney Company media conglomerate.

Most of the games released by Disney Interactive Studios are typically tie-in products to existing character franchises.

Background

Initially Disney licensed its characters in the early 1980s for the games: Sorcerer’s Apprentice for Atari 2600, or The Black Cauldron for personal computers.

History

Computer software

In 1988, Disney started its own in house gaming unit, Walt Disney Computer Software (WDCS). WDCS generally used third-party development studios to design spin-off games using its existing portfolio of characters. WDCS had little success attributed by senior Disney executives due to low product quality and lack of understanding the differences between film and games.

The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is an American diversifiedmultinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. It is the world's second largest media conglomerate in terms of revenue, after Comcast. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks. The company also operated under the names The Walt Disney Studio, then Walt Disney Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media.

In addition, Disney has since created corporate divisions in order to market more mature content than is typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands. The company is best known for the products of its film studio, The Walt Disney Studios, which is today one of the largest and best-known studios in American cinema. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, music, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 14 theme parks around the world. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is a primary symbol of The Walt Disney Company.

Interactivity

Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term interactivity, although all are related to interaction with computers and other machines with a user interface.

Multiple views on interactivity exist. In the "contingency view" of interactivity, there are three levels:

One body of research has made a strong distinction between interaction and interactivity. As the suffix 'ity' is used to form nouns that denote a quality or condition, this body of research has defined interactivity as the 'quality or condition of interaction'. These researchers suggest that the distinction between interaction and interactivity is important since interaction may be present in any given setting, but the quality of the interaction varies from low and high.