Report: Disney To Merge Digital Media Units

An apparently leaked memo from Disney CEO Bob Iger suggests that the company is to merge its Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) and Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) into a single new unit called Disney Interactive Media Group. Disney Interactive Studios is the former Buena Vista Games division which owns major game-related studios such as Warren Spector's Junction Point, as well as Turok developer Propaganda, and publishes the majority of Disney's console and PC game titles. However, the Walt Disney Internet Group houses major casual/online world titles such as Club Penguin and Toontown. Digital media website paidContent.org has printed the contents of the leaked memo, which states that the new unit will be lead by current WDIG president Steve Wadsworth. The memo also suggests that existing management teams will be kept in place, including current DIS executive vice president Graham Hopper. The memo further describes the new unit as having global responsibility for development and distribution of “all Disney-branded interactive digital media and entertainment for all digital interactive platforms”. “Digital media is a high priority for our company, and focusing all of our Disney-branded interactive digital media efforts in one group will ensure we are best positioned to maximize this emerging and dynamic opportunity,” says the memo. “We have made fantastic progress through the efforts of Disney Internet Group and Disney Interactive Studios, and the combined organization will maximize the experience, expertise and talent of both groups across all platforms to be a world-class interactive digital media company,” it continues. “The uniqueness of the Disney brand provides us an opportunity and an imperative to create a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices. Additionally, as console and handheld games become more connected to the Internet, and as Internet and mobile become increasingly robust destinations for games and a range of interactive entertainment, we are taking this opportunity to integrate these activities,” adds the memo. No confirmation of the memo’s contents has been made by Disney, or either of the two existing units, with the memo making no mention of a time scale for the changes.