NYT article on Disney's acquisition of Playdom

[Big Kid]

Here's an interesting New York Times article on Disney's acquisition of Playdom, an internet game producer.

I don't follow this type of gaming at all, but if the article is the whole story then it seems that Disney is floundering, throwing money at a business that it doesn't really understand and that doesn't compliment its family friendly image.

Hopefully the long-term plan is to use Playdom to develop Disney-themed games for facebook (and whatever portals become the facebooks of tomorrow). I have quickly lost interest in the handful of facebook "games" that I have tried, but would love to see some well done ones that trade on Disney characters and/or a treasure hunt style game set in the theme parks and resorts.

 

[daber]

Here's an interesting but would love to see some well done ones that trade on Disney characters and/or a treasure hunt style game set in the theme parks and resorts.

They did have one called Virtual Magic Kingdom. It was a composite of the various MKs around the world. There was a Jungle Cruise ride game, a HM game, a POTC game, a Castle Fireworks game. You could go into the stores at the various lands and buy items and some were LE to a certain day or time. They also crossed over to the real parks where if you did a quest, then you got trading cards with codes to enter into the game and get stuff like a hitching post saddle couch for your virtual room.
Sadly, the plug was pulled on this very popular game.
You are right, Disney doesn't know computer games and continues to flounder. This isn't the first software company they have purchased and still can't seem to succeed in this business line.