Disney on MMOs

Disney is really going full throttle on the  MMO business, with Toontown and VMK both live, Pirates of the Caribbean Online coming up next, and at least 5 more in development, going by hearsay. Hell, hearsay says 7-9, I'm being conservative.

Uhoh, the avatars need a bit of work.

Gamasutra has an interview up with the chap in charge of PotCO. Some bits and pieces about game design, and it looks like they've put in some good flourishes:

Only ten percent of players are online at any time, he says. “If you’re playing any of our games, the ‘friends lists’ works across games.”

Another step Disney will be implementing is reaching people on their phones, with the example of a text message with your pirate fort is being attacked. But the lesson is: “Let people stay connected.”

That works. I can see it now - kids rushing out of class ostensibly to go to the loo, but actually to go rescue their fort. Tricky!

Overall, I really like what Disney are doing. They've a rather no-nonsense attitude about the whole thing, and are relatively low-key in their promises - no hyperactive PR, no slipped deadlines-headlines. It's nice.