Could Disney's Playdom be in worse shape than previously thought?

That's what a report by Business Insider looks to get to the bottom of, citing several anonymous sources. The report lists several bulleted claims by unnamed folks close to Playdom that range from a handful of high level execs have left the company recently to Playdom was forced to relinquish control over what games it made to Disney. And the House of Mouse is unsurprisingly reportedly not very happy about it.

"Six top executives at the VP level or above have moved on in the last three months including Playdom's Co-COO," one nameless source told Business Insider. Another source told the website that soon after Disney's $400 million plus acquisition of Playdom, the new parent company quickly "started to come in and ask Playdom to work on certain games and drop others," according to Business Insider.

Another notable takeaway from the report states that "voices within Playdom" said that they didn't see a value in pursuing Disney's lucrative brands within social games, because kids--Disney's target audience--doesn't pay up on Facebook. Other anonymous sources came to Playdom's defense, claiming that the company "is making three or four times as much money off its users as other social gaming companies," Business Insider reports.

Disney issued a response to Business Insider, reminding readers that Gardens of Time has been the company's most successful Facebook game, reaching top five status at one point. More importantly, the company was keen on letting players know that the first social game based on a Disney brand is coming. (We guess this one doesn't count then?)

This is certainly not the first time doomsayers have outed Disney and Playdom as headed for failure. There's no doubt the two companies have dragged their feet ever since joining hands. We've reached out to Playdom for comment.

[Image Credit: Disney]

Do you think Playdom is doomed, or is it just warming up? What do you hope the first Disney Facebook game is like?

Playdom leads gamers into double life in Secret Agent X on Facebook

By day, you're a suburban soccer mom who brings dinner to the table for her kids. By night, you're a secret agent working for an undercover organization that keeps the world safe. This is the general premise for Playdom's next game since Disney's GnomeTown, Secret Agent X. The game, set to launch this fall, pits you against the evil organization known as SCAM.

All Things Digital reports that the game is available in some international markets in a closed beta test. The Disney-owned developer released a teaser trailer that reveals next to nothing about its gameplay, but we can always image what it'll be like. Based on what Playdom has told ATD, the game will send players on adventures using high-tech gadgets only to have them return home to the normal duties of suburban life.

It's easy to envision "home" being the hub of the game in which you customize a house, while you explore large maps on missions as a secret agent. (Again, this is speculation.) Playdom tells ATD that, starting with Secret Agent X, the company will release a dozen games within the next year. Up to three of those games--coming in January, March and August 2012--will revolve around Disney brands, according to ATD.

Playdom has been under fire from analysts for dragging its feet into the social games race since Disney bought it for a whopping $563.2 million over a year ago. How does the developer plan to catch up to the likes of wooga, Playfish and possibly Zynga: Explore new concepts and leverage the bevy of Disney mega brands. "A year after the acquisition, we are successfully transitioning into an operating division within Disney," Playdom COO Brad Serwin told ATD. "We are 100 percent back to work."


Based on the teaser trailer, what do you expect from Secret Agent X? Which of Disney's brands do you hope becomes a Facebook game most?

Club Penguin fires a salvo of fun with Puffle Launch for iPhone [Video]

Parents, secure the iPhones and iPads. If Club Penguin isn't going to slide onto Facebook anytime soon, we'll take the next best thing: the iPhone. Puffle Launch, first released as a mini game within the kids world of Club Penguin over a year ago, launches onto iPhone tomorrow, Sept. 15. The game, which will be available for the paltry price of $.99, puts players in control of Daredevil, one of the many Puffles available in the existing Disney-owned web game.

Just like in Club Penguin, kids can fire Daredevil from a cannon, careening into obstacles and collecting Coins. Better yet, those Coins can be transferred to kids' existing Club Penguin accounts to buy new items from the web game's store. As players advance through the game's many daring and dangerous aerial courses, they will eventually have to face the Crab Boss.

According to a Club Penguin representative, Puffle Launch is already played by 150,000 kids daily, and a new Puffle is adopted every second in the kid-friendly virtual world. (That amounts to more than 20 million of the little balls of love adopted in 2011 already!) With statistics like that, color us baffled as to why Club Penguin has yet to hit Facebook, especially considering the amount of preteens that are already active on the social network.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Club Penguin's expansion beyond its little home on the web and onto new platforms (aside from Nintendo's stable of consoles). Check out the game's trailer below, but you might not want to show the kids just yet, unless you're willing to buy it on every iOS device in the house.


Are you excited that Club Penguin has finally made it to iOS? Where or how else would you like to see the Club Penguin franchise go? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment