Difference between revisions of "Disney Interactive Studios"

==History==

Founded in 1988 as Walt Disney Computer Software, it generally used third-party development studios to design spin-off games using its existing portfolio of characters. On December 5, 1994, it was reorganized as Disney Interactive. It was to this brand and company that in February 2000, [[Shinji Hashimoto]] pitched the idea for ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|game}}'', a game that would be a collaboration between [[Squaresoft]] and Disney and feature various elements from both companies' works. The game was announced at E3 2001, noting the collaboration between the two companies, and was a success.

In 2003, Buena Vista Games spun out of Disney Interactive, and it was this branch of the gaming division that took charge of non-children's games, including the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. It was this brand that was credited in the collaboration with now [[Square Enix]] in the development and release of ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'' in 2004 and ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' in 2005. In April 2005, Buena Vista Games purchased Avalanche Software from Salt Lake City, Utah and started Propaganda Games, a Vancouver, British Columbia based game development studio. In September 2006, Buena Vista acquired Climax Racing and formed Fall Line Studio in November 2006.

In 2007, The Walt Disney Company rebranded Buena Vista Games as Disney Interactive Studios, its current name and brand. Today, the studio publishes both Disney and non-Disney branded video games for all platforms worldwide, with titles that feature its consumer brands including Disney, ABC, ESPN, and Touchstone. On June 5, 2008, Disney Interactive Studios and the Walt Disney Internet Group, merged into a single business unit now known as the Disney Interactive Media Group,[11] and it merged its subsidiary Fall Line Studios with its sister studio, Avalanche Software, in January 2009.