How Disney is rebooting its mobile game business

Disney’s game business has been somewhat static. In 2011, Disney was ranked at No. 15 on the list of the top public video game companies when it came to revenues, according to market researcher Newzoo. And in 2015, Disney was still ranked at No. 15. That means it isn’t nearly as dominant in the $91 billion game business as it is in the rest of entertainment and toys.

But in mobile games, the market is fresh and fluid. Chris Heatherly, head of Disney Interactive’s mobile game business, believes that the company can move the needle on the rankings by focusing on fewer, better titles. That’s a familiar refrain at a number of mobile game companies, but Disney has been rebooting itself to do just that. And the company is seeing some success through a combination of licensing other game publishers to make mobile titles and by building its own experiences with internal studios.