Disney Infinity causes big bump for Disney's games business

Newsbrief: Today, The Walt Disney company released its first quarter fiscal 2014 results, for the period ending December 28, 2013. Its Disney Interactive business saw a 38 percent jump thanks largely to the success of Disney Infinity, its action figure-based video game, which launched last August. Revenues for its games business were $403 million, up from $291 million the year prior. Its profits increased from $46 million to $55 for the quarter year-on-year. Besides a boost from Disney Infinity, the company also saw ongoing growth in its Japanese mobile games business, it stated. Disney has de-emphasized its social games business of late, and is banking big on the Disney Infinity property. It ousted exec John Pleasants, the former CEO of its social unit Playdom in November, and big layoffs in the division are heavily rumored. Conversely, Disney Infinity swung the company's games business to profit last fiscal year.