Australian app developer sells company to Disney

An Australian iPhone app developer living in Silicon Valley has just closed a huge deal with entertainment giant Disney, which will buy his development company Tapulous for an undisclosed amount.

The company, which was co-founded by Lacy, is best-known for its range of Tap-Tap Revenge games, which have been downloaded over 35 million times with the company’s revenue likely into the millions.

The music rhythm-based games were some of the first, and most popular, available on the App Store. A price has not been disclosed, but recent trends indicate the price could move into the tens of millions. Electronic Arts recently purchased social gaming developer PlayFish for $US275 million in cash and $US25 million in equity, and Yahoo recently bought developer Citizen Sports for a reported $US50 million.

Lacy and Decrem will both join Disney’s mobile envelopment team as senior vice presidents, according to a statement, and are expected to spearhead the entertainment giant’s move into mobile gaming.

Disney has already created a number of games to accompany its film and television products, and is increasingly gaining an interest in mobile gaming.

“We will be at the centre of Disney’s mobile strategy,” Decrem told TechCrunch. “They have 40 apps in the app store today. There is Disney, Marvel, ESPN, Pixar—the idea of combining what we know about games in the app store with Disney’s brand and ID is exciting. It is exciting to be in the driver’s seat.”

Lacy worked at McKinsey and Company in Australia and Europe for several years, and earned an MBA from Stanford University. He told Fairfax he has lived in Melbourne most of his life, but moved to Silicon Valley to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.

Tapulous actually hasn’t gained much funding, only $US1.8m from a group of angel investors. But the company’s focus on younger players is likely a big selling point for Disney.

“As part of Disney Interactive Media Group, we’ll develop more games, more quickly and with the resources of the world’s leading entertainment company,” Decrem said in a statement.

“We will continue to develop apps that live at the intersection of music and gaming, but we’ll also push into new and exciting areas of mobile social entertainment.”

The company will maintain its headquarters in San Francisco, but is expected to hire a number of new developers soon.