Disney's sparse release lineup leads to slow Q1

The Walt Disney Company's video game-focused Interactive Media division today reported decreased revenues and widening losses for its fiscal first quarter, coinciding with the company's conservative game output. For the quarter ended December 31, 2011, the Interactive Media division saw $279 million in revenue, down 20 percent from $349 million during the same time last year. With these reduced revenues, losses for the division reached $28 million, compared to $15 million year over year. Disney reported that the lowered results can be attributed to the company's sparse release lineup, though this decline was offset partially by Disney's improved results in the social space. For comparison, Disney's console lineup in the prior year-quarter included the highly-anticipated Epic Mickey, as well as major movie tie-in titles such as Toy Story 3 and Tron: Evolution. This quarter, the company's only major console title was the multiplatform Disney Universe. Going forward, Disney confirmed that it plans to continue its shift away from the console market to focus its efforts on social games and other emerging platforms.