Disney announced on the Pirates of the Caribbean Online site that they won't be making their summer launch goal for the MMO themed around the blockbuster films, originally intended to coincide with the release of the latest Pirates film, At World's End. Though the game's been in Phase 1 beta, the movie release came and went, and will probably end up on DVD before Pirates of the Caribbean Online is ready for the public.

In an official statement on the site, Disney said of the "updated launch timing":

"Our end goal is simple—make a great game! In order to achieve this we believe we need some additional development time and have therefore decided to move the launch of the game to this fall. This gives us some extra time to further enhance the game, respond to additional data we've collected during beta testing, and incorporate more of the input we have received from our players."

The company anticipates a Fall 2007 launch instead.

Starting in May 2008, Disney games for the portable Nintendo DS will come bundled with kid-friendly software that allows players on a Wi-Fi connection to create avatars, socialize and swap goods in a virtual environment. While the Nintendo DS has always had embedded firmware to facilitate simple chat, the Disney product, called DGamer, will work directly with the Disney games-- kids can share their high scores and vote in polls, too. The DGamer world will also synch directly with a compatible web portal simultaneously.

DGamer was announced at Disney's recent E3 presentation (check out the video), and is slated for a worldwide release in May of 2008 with the first compatible title to be The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Disney has raised its profile in the console and handheld gaming market considerably in recent years-- they've recently acquired acclaimed designer Warren Spector's Junction Point studio, and have said they will invest $130 million more in game development during 2007. This growth has been concurrent with the development of Disney's online world, Toontown-- now, it seems, Disney's ready to take the next step to marry gaming, virtual worlds and social networking in the portable gaming arena.

“It’s really a perfect environment for people to exchange information and to share their community, and it’s great for the Disney audience,” said a rep.

Club Penguin is now Disney's Club Penguin. The Walt Disney Company has announced its acquisition of the successful, snow-laden virtual world for kids, as part of its stated objective of "establishing clear leadership in the kids and families online virtual worlds space around the globe.”

PaidContent.org is reporting the acquisition to the tune of $350 million up-front, with the opportunity to earn out an additional $350 million by 2009.

“This acquisition is consistent with our strategy of leveraging technology to create and deliver high-quality entertainment around the world and our commitment to investing our capital to generate growth and value for our shareholders,” said Bob Iger, Disney president and CEO.

“We have been actively searching for an organization that not only shares our values and concerns for children, but also has the ability and desire to help us bring Club Penguin to more children throughout the world. We’ve found that partner in Disney,” said Lane Merrifield, one of Club Penguin’s three founders. “As a former employee of Disneyland, I’ve always had a great respect for what Walt created. When he first envisioned Disneyland, he wanted to create a safe place that he and his daughters could enjoy. In the process of creating Club Penguin, we shared that passion and often pulled from Walt’s vision in the hope of creating a unique place online that we would be comfortable letting our own children visit.”

Disney’s Club Penguin will retain the original URL (www.clubpenguin.com) and its home base in Kelowna, British Columbia. The company’s three founders, Lane Merrifield, Dave Krysko and Lance Priebe, will join Disney and continue as Club Penguin senior management; Merrifield will also become an EVP ofThe Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), reporting to WDIG President Steve Wadsworth.

“Club Penguin is going to continue to exist as is. ... The experience will not change at all. It will continue to evolve.” Iger said. “We really don’t intend to get in the way of that or do anything by virtue of the way we own it.”

With the help of WDIG resources, though, Club Penguin's poised to go international, with plans to create versions in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, as WDIG and Club Penguin management aim to integrate Club Penguin into the Disney-connected entertainment network over time.

Worlds in Motion toured Club Penguin as part of our ongoing Online World Atlas -- you can see our comprehensive tour here.

Disney Online recently launched its Pirates of the Caribbean Online game, a world based on the successful film franchise, for both PC and Mac platforms. The pirate-themed world offers quests and adventures, customizable pirate avatars, treasure hunts, and lets players captain their own ship and crew with the aim of becoming the most legendary pirate. Worlds in Motion spoke with vice president Mike Goslin of Disney Online's VR studio about the film extension process.

So far I've heard your current team be referred to as Internet Group, VR Group, and Virtual Studio -- could you tell me what the official title is, and explain what the team's purpose is?

Our internal development team, VR Studio, is part of Disney Online. We have a great team with a keen understanding of MMOGs as well as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise from our prior work with Walt Disney Imagineering. This team was also responsible for the development of Disney’s Toontown Online and will continue to play a big part in the creation of future Disney virtual worlds.

This is the first time that the Pirates of the Caribbean property has been made into a virtual world; could you describe the process that the studio has taken along the way to creating the new MMO?

Before we started building MMOGs, the VR Studio team worked on virtual reality theme park attractions. In 1999 we developed an attraction for DisneyQuest based on Pirates of the Caribbean that allowed players to sail around in that world sinking ships and gathering treasure. It was a lot of fun and had such strong appeal that when we later got into building MMOGs one of our first pitches was one based on Pirates.

We felt the online medium was a great new way to deliver the kind of experiences we’d been building for the theme parks. In 2000, we pitched the idea of multiple MMOGs, including Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This was before the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but we knew from our DisneyQuest experience that the franchise was popular and that the environment would translate incredibly well into a game.

We were thrilled with the success of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003 and immediately teamed up with the movie studio to weave characters, stories, creatures, and themes from the films into the game. We have shared everything from art assets to character storylines, and consulted with them during development. At the same time, we’re focused on building a world that can stand on its own with new stories, characters, and environments so fans of the movies can come into the game and live their own adventure.

What were the challenges in translating the Pirates world to a new medium?

Our biggest obstacle was trying to deliver an authentic Pirates of the Caribbean experience in that incredibly detailed and richly textured world while still running on a wide range of PC hardware.

I think the world we ended up with delivers an experience that lives up to the high standards of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The credit goes to our incredibly talented artists who did a lot with a little and our hard-working engineers who spent months and months tuning the engine.

What sort of development tools has the studio used to produce Pirates of the Caribbean Online?

We use a wide range of tools including both commercial modeling and animation software, paint tools, and so on as well as some applications we developed in house, such as our level design and editing tool.

Could you talk about the unique alternate subscription model that has been planned for Pirates of the Caribbean Online?

The game utilizes a hybrid business model, which allows players to scale their engagement. There is a free, ad-supported portion of the game and at any time players have the option to upgrade to an Unlimited Access subscription for a first-month fee of $4.95 and $9.95 for the following months. The Unlimited Access subscription upgrade allows players to unlock expanded features and play in a full screen, completely ad-free environment. Within the ad-supported free portion, ads are in external frames around the game window only and not integrated directly into game play.

We really felt it was important to open the game up to as many players as possible, and this hybrid model really allows us to do that.

A "Lookout" system was implemented, which lets players quickly engage in game activities; would you explain how that feature works?

The Lookout system matches players with activities as well as other players. For example, if you want to find a game of Tortuga Hold-em, you can register with the Lookout system and it will match you with other players and tell you when the game is ready. If you choose to join, you are teleported immediately to the card game so you can get right into the fun. We currently have the Lookout system hooked up to pirate-vs.-pirate (PVP) game types as well as card games.

The overall goal is to not make players walk around looking for something to do or for someone to play with.

What sort of user-generated content and network-building will be available in and around this title?

We allow players to create and run their own guilds, and have provided tools to manage guilds and other game stats via the web.

What lessons have been learned during the development process for Pirates of the Caribbean Online which will carry over into future MMO projects?

Here are some important lessons we learned from our experience developing Toontown Online and Pirates of the Caribbean Online that we will definitely carry over into future projects: Make it easy for players to join their friends; make it easy for players to find and join fun activities; support as low a minimum spec PC as possible, and focus on making the game as fun as possible!

[Patrick Murphy contributed to this report.]

The Walt Disney Internet Group has announced it has appointed A.D. "Bud" Albers as chief technology officer, where he'll be responsible for "leading technological breakthroughs on existing platforms as well as developing cutting-edge new technology solutions in support of the company's new media technology needs."

Prior to joining WDIG, where Albers was senior vice president and CEO at MediaNet Digital (formerly MusicNet), where he supported the launch of music services including Microsoft Zune, MTV Urge, Yahoo Music Unlimited, Virgin Red Pass and the Samsung Media Service in Europe. He also played an active role in the company's shift into video, DRM free and cross platform technologies.

Steve Wadsworth, WDIG President, commented, "Bud's depth and breadth of experience in complex technology solutions and global business challenges will be invaluable to us as we pursue our mission to offer a compelling mix of interactive entertainment and information content and services for Internet and mobile devices for audiences around the world. We're fortunate to have someone with Bud's deep success record and strategic insight on our leadership team."

Continued Wadsworth, "His technical knowledge combined with his strategic thinking will help us achieve our vision of a world where users can access The Walt Disney Company content, including Disney-branded characters and stories, ABC news and entertainment and ESPN sports coverage and analysis, anytime and anywhere."

That "anytime and anywhere" access to Disney-branded content likely includes the company's recent strong presence in the virtual worlds space, too.

Disney.com is reporting record web traffic for January 2008, crediting "strong performance in virtual worlds" for the boost. In particular, the company says the recently-launched Pirates of the Caribbean Online was a "major factor."

The company adds that comparisons to prior periods look rosier thanks to the inclusion of Club Penguin to Disney's stat counts, noting that co-promotions have helped boost performance and cross-visitation across both sites.

Disney also says that all of its community-based online activities are doing well, and that 40 million avatars have been created across its network. Its XD community site has seen 1.3 million personal channels created, and Disney Fairies users have created more than 4.5 million custom fairies, the company says.

Walt Disney Internet Group EVP and head of Disney Online Paul Yanover commented, "We couldn’t be more thrilled with this new Disney.com traffic record. Over the past year our team has worked hard to innovate and push the boundaries of visitor engagement with Disney’s franchises. Key to our approach is a focus on virtual worlds and community-driven programs. As an example, we’re particularly excited with the response we’re seeing to Pirates Online.”

Some news we missed out of the recent 2008 Toy Fair: Disney will be introducing some new toys based on its Disney Fairies avatar creation site. It'll collaborate with electronic toy company Techno Source to extend Pixie Hollow playtime into a product line that connects with the online world.

Disney says users have created more than 4.5 million unique fairy avatars to date at the site. With the launch of the toys, they expect to broaden the userbase and provide inroads for new users as well. The toys are charm bracelets and jewelry boxes that unlock gifts on the Disney Fairies site that kids can share with one another

Techno Source EVP Eric Levin commented, “Disney and Techno Source are turning the Internet-toy business model on its ear. For starters, while many toy companies are creating online worlds to support their latest offline products, we are starting with the most successful, immersive virtual worlds for which children already have a strong emotional connection. With the Clickables technology, we take it one step further by allowing their virtual play to continue into the real world with products that naturally align with their existing play patterns and extend their engagement with the Disney Fairies experience in the enchanting online world of Pixie Hollow.”

Nearly three years since the company launched its Virtual Magic Kingdom, Disney has announced its plans to end the free MMO service on May 21st.

The Virtual Magic Kingdom was originally created and opened to the public in 2005 as a temporary promotion for the Disneyland 50th Anniversary Celebration. Due to the popularity and success Virtual Magic Kingdom, Disney continued the promotion long after the 50th Anniversary Celebration's 18-month-long event ended.

As with Habbo Hotel, Virtual Magic Kingdom was developed by Finnish studio Sulake and shared many similarities with the social networking site. Players with registered accounts are able to decorate their personal rooms, earn and spend in-game credits, and participate in a variety of online events and activities with their customized avatars, all in a "safe, non-threatening environment."

Said producer Seth "Yavn" Mendelsohn: "In the time since we've launched VMK, we've seen many players come and go, and we're hoping you will graduate from VMK too – in particular, to games like Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Disney's ToonTown Online, Club Penguin and the upcoming Fairies and Cars online virtual worlds. We think you'll find you enjoy those just as much as VMK – if not more."

With the North American release of its Nintendo DS game, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Disney Interactive Studios has launched DGamer, its online community developed exclusively for Disney gamers and accessible through the Nintendo DS. Disney is scheduled to release DGamer in other international regions by 2009.

DGamer leverages the community technology of Disney.com to allow players to login with their DS to create and customize 3D avatars and persistent profiles. Different outfits, hats, eyewear, accessories, and Disney-themed costumes are available for players to dress up their avatars. Kids can chat, view their friends' profiles, and post high scores on DGamer's leaderboards. DGamer also offers "honors," displayable badges that symbolize specific achievements, sometimes unlocking special avatar gear and exclusive content for Disney's DS games and the DGamer channel online.

Parents can access features at DGamer's website which they can use to specify the level of their kids interactivity online. DGamer provides three different chat options: Speed Chat, which uses a predetermined list of words and phrases; Speed Chat Plus, which uses modified free-form typing that blocks inappropriate language or suggestive phrases; and Open Chat, which requires that users first exchange a "True Friend Code." This is in addition to the safety features already employed at Disney.com to moderate chat communication.

Said Disney Interactive Studios executive vice president and general manager Graham Hopper, “DGamer was built around the vision to connect Disney video game fans in a secure, fun environment and it is truly the first integrated online community of its kind to do so on multiple platforms. We recognize the importance of delivering unique experiences to our consumers and how crucial it is for parents to feel confident that the community is secure for their kids."

After operating the free MMO service for nearly three years, Disney will be closing the Virtual Magic Kingdom, a free-to-play virtual world mimicking the Disneyland's theme parks online and originally launched to coincide with Disney's 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2005.

Speaking with newspaper Los Angeles Times, Walt Disney Internet Group president Steve Wadsworth explained, "It never achieved scale. It was promotional. There was no business model attached to it. It had a small but passionate audience."

Since Disney announced that it would be closing its Virtual Magic Kingdom, that passionate audience has gathered nearly 20,000 signatures for an online petition protesting the service's termination. Other fans of the MMO have gone so far as to write letters to Disney chief executive Robert Iger imploring him to cancel the closing. Disney has so far not announced any plants to extend the service past today.

Disney Internet Group spokesman John Spelich hopes that Virtual Magic Kingdom's users will move on to Disney's other virtual world offerings, including Club Penguin, which supports free and subscription-based memberships, and Disney Fairies, a forthcoming virtual world built around Tinker Bell and her friends: "At Disney, we'd rather do anything in the world than disappoint a guest. But we hope our VMK players will choose to sample some of the other ways to engage with Disney online through disney.com or through virtual worlds."

Disney Interactive Studios, has announced Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell, a new Nintendo DS game based on the world of Peter Pan fairy Tinker Bell and featuring Disney's DGamer service, scheduled to ship in the 2008 holiday season following the DVD release of the the first Disney Fairies film

Set in the world of Pixie Hollow, players take on the role of Tinker Bell herself, choosing from hundreds of outfits and accessories to customize their fairy's appearance. In addition to providing quest and adventures for players to embark on, the game uses the DS's real-time clock to reflect the time of day and season in-game -- snow falls in the wintertime and fireflies come out at night.

As with the DS release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell includes DGamer, an online community developed exclusively for Disney gamers and accessible through the Nintendo DS.

The DGamer service allows users to log into their DS and online accounts to create and customize a unique 3D avatar and persistent profile. Kids can chat, view user profiles of their DGamer friends, post high scores to leaderboards, and unlock exclusive content.

The Walt Disney Company is merging two of its divisions, the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), its digital media unit behind Disney.com and Club Penguin, and Disney Interactive Studios (DIS), its video gaming unit behind Nintendo DS online world DGamer, according to an internal memo sent by Disney CEO Bob Iger and posted by PaidContent.

The new unit, labeled Disney Interactive Media Group, will be led by WDIG president Steve Wadsworth and will have global responsibility for developing and distributing "all Disney-branded interactive digital media and entertainment for all digital interactive platforms." Existing management teams from both units will continue to opera in the combined group.

The move to merge the two divisions was attributed to the company's desire to create "a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices." Disney believes the integration of WDIG and DIS' activities comes at a timely point when console and handheld games are becoming more and more connected to the internet, and more users are looking to the internet and mobile devices for games and interactive entertainment.

Said Iger: "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. 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."

In an announcement at the International Licensing Expo predicting a record $30+ billion in global retail sales for fiscal 2008, Disney revealed that its virtual world based on the Cars franchise will be available next year.

In addition to forecasting $2.7 billion in merchandising sales for its 'tween franchises, Disney expects its DCP (Disney Consumer Products) girls franchises to reach the $5 billion mark, aided by DisneyFairies.com, which claims nearly 6 million user-created fairy avatars, as well as upcoming virtual world Pixie Hollow and Nintendo DS Dgamer title Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell.

Disney and Pixar's Cars franchise is on track to generate a projected $2.5 billion in global retail sales of licensed merchandise. The Cars virtual world will offer players a chance to create their own car avatar and interact with Lightning McQueen and other characters from the film.

Said Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney "It’s the Disney difference that accounts for this unprecedented growth fueled by unmatched content and rich franchises nurtured across The Walt Disney Company. In just five years, retail sales of Disney products have doubled and we have diversified our portfolio of brands with smash hits like High School Musical, evergreens like Disney Princess, and expanding franchises in Disney and Pixar’s Cars and Disney Fairies. Our product offerings now reach all ages. Simply put, there is no better time to be aligned with Disney.”

Disney is planning a summer launch for DisneyFamily.com, an ad-supported, parent-focused social network with avatars, and other community features, according to a report from digital content business site PaidContent.

Based on its research of competitors and observations of its current family site, Disney hopes to target mothers by making the the experience more "intimate" than rivals MySpace.com and Facebook. Targeted at mothers but open to both mothers and fathers, DisneyFamily.com will allow users to relate to others in the community by "expressing themselves in creative ways."

DisneyFamily.com users will be able to create avatars not just to represent themselves, but to represent their entire family, from children to pets. They'll also be able to upload photos, share user-created "stickers," post Twitter-type updates, and complete quizzes modeled after quizzes typically found in women's magazines.

Facing competition from internet heavyweights such as Cartoon Network and Webkinz, the Walt Disney Company has launched "Project Playground," a new initiative to redesign and reposition Disney.com over the next few months as a site focused on entertaining its users rather than promoting its merchandise and brand, according to a report from The New York Times.

Though Disney.com attracted up to 28.4 million unique visitors in May alone, ranking the site as the top online destination for children and family-oriented sites, the company is concerned with the time the average user spends at the official hub - 44.9 minutes. Compare that to Nickelodeon's group of family and child-oriented sites, which keep visitors busy for 79.8 minutes, mostly due to its Neopets virtual pet site.

Disney plans to make immediate entertainment, such as free video content, as the "central component" of its Project Playground effort, providing original clips and even full-length movies, such as Finding Nemo. Said Disney Online VP and managing director Paul Yanover, "It’s a repositioning of our digital front door."

The company also hopes to encourage more interaction with games that connect with user cellphones, such as a newly announced mobile component for Pixie Hollow, a forthcoming virtual world based on Disney's Tinker Bell fairy character. The mobile application allows users to create and care for a butterfly pet for their Pixie Hollow avatars, a feature not available in the online release.

Disney's executive vice president for mobile content, Larry Shapiro, commented, "I’m going to want to use my phone to feed and love my butterfly all the time. That kind of emotional vesting is what we’re after.”

The Walt Disney Company has administered several executive changes and revealed that WDIG International head Mark Handler will be retiring after working with Disney for 24 years, according to an internal memo sent by DIMG president Steve Wadsworth and posted by digital content business site PaidContent.

This news follows the merging of two of Disney divisions, the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), the digital media unit behind Disney.com and Club Penguin, and Disney Interactive Studios (DIS), the video gaming unit behind Nintendo DS online world DGamer, to form Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG).

Disney hoped that the consolidation of the two groups would develop "a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices." The new unit has been given global responsibility for developing and distributing "all Disney-branded interactive digital media and entertainment for all digital interactive platforms.”

With the integration and its exec changes, Disney announced that current WDIG International head Mark Handler will retire after 24 years with the company and 8 years with the WDIG organization. Handler was instrumental in the development of Disney’s international digital business, helping expand its online presence in 24 international territories and mobile business in 70.

Wadsworth revealed in the memo that the new unit will operate under two global lines of business in order to provide greater coordination on global content and global business execution: Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) and Disney Online (DOL).

Disney Interactive Studios will focus on developing and publishing video games on home consoles, PCs, handhelds, and mobile devices. The group will also be tasked with developing a cross-platform casual game studio capability. Current Disney Interactive Studios EVP and GM Graham Hopper will continue to run DIS on a global basis with expanded responsibilities.

Disney Online’s priorities will be on the company’s global web properties, such as Disney.com and Family.com, on all media platforms. The business line will also focus on the development and operation of virtual worlds, including Club Penguin, as well as Disney’s broader community/connectivity capabilities. Current Disney Online EVP and GM Paul Yanover will run Disney Online on a global basis.

Lane Merrifield, the co-founder and current EVP and GM of Club Penguin, will lead all virtual worlds development and operations as part of Disney Online. Disney mobile content EVP Larry Shapiro will be responsible for global strategy, business development, Corp Communications, and legal for Disney Interactive Media Group, working directly with the lines of business and regions.

Said Wadsworth: “As you will see, we are organizing around the global development of interactive media products and content with the ability to focus on local distribution and local content requirements.”

He continued: “In addition, we will be poised to take advantage of continued convergence between the game console platforms and the online/mobile platforms as technologies and consumer behaviour rapidly evolve. We are positioning ourselves to maximize the upcoming opportunities and putting the organization on the path to accelerate significant long term growth.”

Disney.com, which is managed by Disney Interactive Media Group, announced several new additions to its site, including a games portal, a video portal, a character portal, personal profile pages, and mobile web connectivity features.

The games portal collects Disney's hundreds of online games into one place. Users can search for the games by character, type, most-played, and new releases. They can also jump into Disney's virtual worlds, such as Club Penguin, Toontown, and Pirates of the Caribbean Online, through the portal.

Disney hopes to connect its mobile site directly to its online offerings with its new mobile features, allowing guests to access enhanced features with their phones, including games and virtual worlds widgets. Registrants will also have access to a mobile content storefront.

Disney told the New York Times in June that it intends to include a mobile component with Pixie Hollow, a forthcoming virtual world based on Disney's Tinker Bell fairy character. The mobile application allows users to create and care for a butterfly pet for their Pixie Hollow avatars, a feature not available in the online release.

Said Disney Online manager and executive vice president Paul Yanover: “Our audience continues to grow significantly as kids and families increasingly turn to the Web for entertainment, and the addition of these new features brings our most popular content offerings to the forefront of the site."

He continued: "The new customization and community features put our guests firmly in the driver’s seat to access thousands of popular Disney games, videos and characters, and our new mobile-specific offerings bring our content to life in new ways on the go.”

Disney intends to release a mobile game that will interact with its Pirates of the Caribbean Online virtual world this September or October, according to a report from financial news site Forbes.

Launched in October 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean Online is a free-to-play title (with a monthly subscription option for premium content) based on the Disney film series. In the mobile game, players will be able to engage in short battles and earn virtual coins that can later be spent online, presumably in the MMORPG.

Disney also has a "Fairy Friend" mobile widget planned for Pixie Hollow, a forthcoming virtual world based on Disney's Tinker Bell fairy character. The mobile application allows users to create and care for a butterfly pet for their Pixie Hollow avatars, a feature not available in the online release.

The company is planning several other products to sync mobiles with its online site, such as a registration system for users to access their Disney.com profiles (due September), a digital storefront for purchasing games and other mobile goods, a "Speed Chat" messaging system for sending messages to other mobiles or PCs, real-time polls and trivia questions that follow Disney shows on TV, and more.

Disney is looking ahead to adapt to its 'tween users' cell phone needs and has already begun developing applications for the iPhone. An iPhone-specific version of the Disney site is also in the works.

Larry Shapiro, EVP of business development and operations for the Walt Disney Internet Group, commented that the company's mobile efforts are designed primarily to strengthen its other sectors: "It's about creating a connected media world. If you want to reach tweens, you need mobile."

"I’ve found that with these massively multiplayer games, you’ve never learned it all -- you keep learning," says Mike Goslin, president of Disney Online Studios. Goslin was at the Austin GDC to discuss the company's newest MMO, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and the lessons learned.

Goslin started at Disney at Walt Disney Imagineering, working on virtual theme park rides, specifically Disney Quest, a "theme park in a box," as he called it. The most popular ride was apparently Pirates of the Caribbean.

"The most important thing we learned was that everybody loves being a pirate," he says. "Grandmas, little girls, everybody gets on there and has a good time."

While Goslin wasn’t able to reveal the subscription numbers for the Pirates of the Caribbean game, he did impart a number of interesting statistics, including:

- 104 million ships sunk
- 5,445 cumulative years of play
- 2.7 billion gold won in blackjack minigame
- 4.2 million male pirate avatars
- 1.3 million female pirate avatars

"Movie games tend to suck," Goslin admits. "That’s because a lot of money gets tied up in the license, and there are milestones for a movie, and things like that."

Disney Online has announced the official opening of their new virtual world Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow, where players create their own Fairy to "take flight alongside Tinker Bell and tons of Fairy friends."

In Pixie Hollow, players can play "Talent Games", collect curios, perform crafting and earn badges, with new content to continue to be added to the world, according to Disney representatives, with new features to include "Fairy parties, wilderness quests and more."

In conjunction with the launch, Disney Consumer Products is introducing an assortment of Disney Fairies toys that connect to Pixie Hollow, including the Clickables Fairy Collection -- jewelry that unlocks special content in Pixie Hollow when the user “clicks" their Disney Fairies jewelry with their real-world friends offline. Girls can also play a handheld electronic LCD game to earn "Tink Points" offline that can be redeemed online for "butterfly friends" that fly with their Fairies in Pixie Hollow.

In addition to the Clickables Fairy Collection, select new Disney Fairies toys are to include a “Pixie Pass” in the package, enabling users to log on to a special web site to receive special items for their virtual Fairy.

“Pixie Hollow is an online destination where fans of all ages can become a Fairy and go to live in a magical world of Tinker Bell and her friends,” said Steve Parkis, senior vice president, Disney Online. “More than 7 and a half million Fairies have already been created and, until now, have been all dressed up with no place to go. Now, in Pixie Hollow, Fairies can join their friends, take flight and live their very own Fairy adventures.”