Disney announced today it’s official plans to purchase the social gaming company Playdom, claiming that the deal should be closed by the end of the 2010 fiscal year. Playdom produces online games like Mobsters, Sorority Life, and Tiki Farm that are played mostly through popular social media websites like Facebook and My Space. ClikZ.com is reporting that the Playdom CEO, John Pleasants, has already been named EVP of the Disney Interactive Media Group.
So what does this mean for online social gaming & Disney? Well, even though Disney is reportedly just “testing the waters” of social media outlets the acquisition of Playdom, it’s recent move to sell movie tickets through a Facebook application for “Toy Story 3,” and offering movie ticket discounts for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” through Twitter add up to increased efforts for Disney to embrace the power of social media. Perhaps, eventually these social media games will include officially licsenced merchadise for the virtual players to wear, or globally recognized Disney characters will even appear in the games themselves.
One Disney exec told ClikZ.com: “Each effort is “brand dependent, product dependent, and situational,” rather than part of a broad company-wide strategy. In the end, he added, it’s all part of the company’s mission to be where people are and offer them a number of ways to interact with Disney brands and characters.” (-ClickZ)
