NewMediaZero: Disney unveils ideas for online game 'theme park'

Early game effort

Disney representatives in the U.K. said the company was developing an online "Theme Park" consisting of online games based on the themes from its various successful animated movies. The company said gaming will become a large focus, perhaps eventually eclipsing movie making. Disney hopes to have the park up and running by 2010, with the first installment already available in the form of the May release of Toontown Online, an online game already attracting 5,000 simultaneous users, mostly in the U.S. and U.K.

While that first game targeted kids and parents - Disney's traditional sweetspot - other games will go after other groups and even hardcore gamers. Disney plans on charging monthly fees for access to the network of sites.