Disney unveils games for little Princesses
Walt Disney Company is targeting young girls with the launch of two video games under the Disney Princess brand. The titles are due to be launched in the autumn and will be supported by an advertising campaign.
The first title, Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, will be launched on PS2, PC and Nintendo Wii formats, and the second title, Disney Princess: Magical Jewels, will be released on Nintendo’s DS format.
Jessica Oifer, senior brand manager at the company’s games arm, Disney Interactive Studios, says: “Based on a brand that girls and parents already know and trust, the Disney Princess video games are designed with young girls in mind, through accessible, challenging and fun game play.”
The company had previously created downloadable games under the Princesses banner, but this is the first console game to be launched.
The Princess brand has been successful for Disney since its launch in 1999 and is the fastest-growing brand for the Disney Consumer Products division, with $3bn (£1.5bn) in worldwide retail sales in 2006.
The video games market is a key growth area for Disney, which is keen to build a presence in the sector. It is launching a number of console titles this year, including games based on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean films and TV shows, such as Hannah Montana and High School Musical.
Last year it committed to spending $350m (£178m) developing a news game, with 30% of that going towards new intellectual properties.
