Disney's newly restructured mobile game division has briefly knocked the popular "Angry Birds" off its perch atop iTunes' free app store over the holidays. It's a sign that its purchase of game-maker Tapulous is paying dividends.
The Walt Disney Co. says Tapulous Inc.'s music game, "Tap Tap Revenge 4," was downloaded 6 million times in 22 days after its release on Dec. 20.
Disney acquired Tapulous in July for an undisclosed amount in an attempt to reverse losses at its interactive unit and expand its mobile strategy. Although it's free, the company's flagship game is a moneymaker because people buy songs they want to play.
Disney says downloads of the newest version of the tap-along game have been proceeding at twice the pace of the 2009 release.