Disney looks beyond 25 billionth App Store download toward mobile future

26.03.2012
The way Bart Decrem sees it, Swampy the Alligator has something in common with Mickey Mouse.

Swampy, of course, is the star of , a popular physics puzzle game for the iPhone and iPad. Mickey Mouse needs no introduction. But just as Swampy made his debut with the September 2011 of Where's My Water?, Mickey had to get his start somewhere--1928's , one of the first cartoons to feature synchronized sound.

That's a noteworthy point to Decrem, the senior vice president and general manager of Disney Mobile, who thinks that Disney is poised to make the same impact in the mobile world that it did with animated movie-making nearly nine decades ago.

"Disney has always led in technology," said Decrem, noting pioneering role in cinema. "We've always leaped into new technology."

Swampy now has a milestone of his own to boast about: Earlier this month, . The milestone brought new attention to the game, which remains a mainstay on the App Store's top download charts.

Apps that had notched previous App Store download milestones--, --were released by little-known app makers, a description that really doesn't apply to Disney. Still, Decrem and his team were thrilled that their app was the one to hit the 25 billion mark.