Avalanche Software

Avalanche Software is a video game developer studio, founded in October 1995 by four lead programmers from Sculptured Software. The company has developed for every console platform since the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES days and has grown to a staff of over 100 since its inception. The company is headed up by CEO John Blackburn.

History

As an independent studio, Avalanche Software was responsible for a number of video games and ports, notably creating Tak and the Power of Juju and the Tak franchise in conjunction with Nickelodeon.

In April 2005, Buena Vista Games (BVG), the video game publishing arm of The Walt Disney Company, acquired the Salt Lake City-based studio. BVG formed a new game studio, Fall Line Studio, in November 2006 to create Disney and new game titles for Nintendo DS and the Wii console.Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) merged Fall Line Studio into its sister studio, Avalanche Software, in January 2009.

DIS in October 2012 announced "Toy Box", a cross platform gaming initiative where Pixar and Disney characters will interact from a console game to multiple mobile and online applications. In January 2013, Avalanche Software unveiled the Toy Box cross platform game as Disney Infinity based on Toy Story 3 game's "Toy Box" mode crossed with a toy line.

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.

Heavy Iron Studios

Heavy Iron Studios is an American video game developer, based in Los Angeles, California. They were a wholly owned subsidiary of THQ until being spun off as an independent company in May 2009 as part of a cost-cutting move. They are most known for their Pixar games, and their three SpongeBob SquarePants games, fan-dubbed the Heavy Iron Trio.

In 2007, Heavy Iron Studios hired Marc Vulcano, a former Senior Character Animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks and animation director at Big Idea Productions. He is now the studio Animation Director.

Games developed